


Sugarella

by FrazzledDragon



Series: once upon haikyuu [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: All ships but Daisuga are background-ish, Cinderella AU, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hinata still has Main Character Syndrome despite being a background character in this lol, I actually had a beta reader!!!, I tried to make the story a little more realistic? i dunno if I succeeded, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's just a Cinderella retelling but with Daisuga, Kinda slow burn I guess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Overworked Child, Suga's friends love him so much and want the best for him, Suga's mom was Badass, Tagged ships are endgame, Tags Are Hard, The Evil Stepmother is a serial killer and gold digger, everyone is at least a little gay, malnourished child, these tags are a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrazzledDragon/pseuds/FrazzledDragon
Summary: Overworked and under-fed, Sugawara Koushi is tired and broken and tired of being broken.Overwhelmed and gay, Prince Sawamura Daichi needs a break from the constant proposals from princesses all over the kingdom.This, however unlikely it is, is how their stories collide.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: once upon haikyuu [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852510
Comments: 251
Kudos: 695
Collections: Haikyuu Fics That Light my soul on Fire





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!!
> 
> This is my spin on a Haikyuu/Cinderella crossover, and I hope you all like it! I'll try to post every day/every couple days, depending on the traffic/my memory XD
> 
> ALSO, hopefully this will be the first of at least a two part series with the second part being BokuAka focused? I've not written anything for that yet, so don't hold your breath, but it would take place in the same universe! i'm pretty excited about it!

The floor will never be clean. Suga is sure of it. He knows, because he’s scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and drawn new water and scrubbed and it’s still sooty and messy and nasty and  _ he’s tried _ .

He bites his lip to keep tears from welling his eyes. Another impossible task, another punishment. He gets so damned tired of losing. Of failing. Can’t he succeed just once?

He keeps scrubbing, and when his stepmother comes striding regally down the steps, he manages to keep from flinching as she gags. “I thought I told you I wanted this floor clean enough to eat off of.”

He stays silent. She doesn’t like excuses.

“You’ll eat your dinner off of the floor regardless.” The servant following along behind her, a shy, innocent boy named Yamaguchi, cries out in alarm as his stepmother whacks the bowl of soup off the tray he was carrying, watching with a cruel sneer as broken glass, soup, soap, and dirty water mix on the tile. “Don’t slack off,  _ Sugawara _ .” The way she says his name, you’d think it was a slur, but it’s just his name. All that remains of the mother who loved him. 

Suga’s stomach twists and gurgles. He hasn’t eaten today. He wonders just how much he’ll be able to salvage without poisoning or cutting himself. He hates that he’s considering that.

He doesn’t eat the soup off the floor. Part of him knows he’s doing it in hopes that it’ll somehow hurt his stepmother, cut her invincible mask. He knows it won’t. But he hopes nonetheless.

The servants, bright, cheery, friendly, try to cheer him up by sneaking him food. Yamaguchi apologizes about a million times, even though it wasn’t his fault. Hinata tells him all about the village gossip he overheard (he has this impossible habit of being exactly where he needs to be to hear the latest gossip or news that Suga’s never been able to figure out), talking about how the crown prince refused his eighteenth marriage proposal this week. Suga doesn’t really care; the prince is so far removed from him, their situations so different, it doesn’t bring him any comfort to hear about his struggles. Until he decides to lower the legal independence age, Suga has no energy to devote to him. 

But Hinata has brought his favorite fruit and warm bread, and Yamaguchi warm milk and fresh carrots from the garden, newly washed, so he gives him every ounce of energy and attention he has left. He knows the risk they run caring for him like this, trying to help him - he knows better than anyone - and won’t let them feel like it’s all for naught.

When Hinata slows, it’s Yamaguchi who asks. “Are you okay, Suga?”

Hinata’s hazel eyes turn on him, glinting in the starlight that filters through the window. It’s the truth-seeking, lie-detecting glint. Suga knows anything short of the truth will not pass Hinata’s muster.

“I’ve been better,” he says, because it’s true. “I’m tired and I’m gonna be sore tomorrow.”

Hinata groans. “Me too. Stupid Kageyama. He has no idea how much work it is to run a bath on the third floor. I walked up those stupid stairs so many times and he tried to tell me it wasn’t the right temperature!”

Suga sighs his sympathy, leaning back against the brick wall. His quarters are practically a cupboard, a smushed bed that’s much too short for him and the squattest, most asymmetrical dresser he’s ever seen his only furniture. The only advantage is the small window. The servants’ quarters are windowless, but at least the beds are the right length.

Kageyama isn’t actually evil, not like his stepmother. He’s just… privileged. He’s only ever lived with Suga’s stepmother and doesn’t know what real love, real affection looks like. Suga’s dad wasn’t cruel, but he didn’t stay alive long enough after his marriage to his stepmother to really parent Kageyama. He’s not cruel, just ignorant. And Hinata, for all his griping (reasonable or otherwise), seemed fond of Kageyama nonetheless. 

“At least Kageyama is stupid. Oikawa isn’t, and he still asks for things like a suit that will attract the attention of that prince from the west. As if I would know how to find a suit, or what Prince Iwaizumi wants.”

Suga snorts. “You should tell him the best way to get Iwaizumi’s attention is to move closer to him.”

Yamaguchi grins shyly. “I won’t say that, because Tsukishima already did.”

Suga smirks. “Good. Maybe he’ll do it, just to be contrary. Stranger things have happened.”

Tsukishima, the son of a local baroness, is one of the few townspeople his stepmother deemed worthy company of her true sons. The irony is, of course, that the vast majority of village kids their age would swoon and praise Oikawa and Kageyama until their tongues fall out where Tsukishima only seems interested in roasting the everloving shit out of the two of them. He puts on an excellent mask in front of everyone else, but he’s the only person living or dead that’s ever made Oikawa cry, as far as Suga knows.

Of  _ course _ he suggested that Oikawa move far, far away where he’d never have to look at the  _ irritatingly _ aesthetically pleasing features of Oikawa. Since Oikawa bears his father’s surname, he might actually be able to pull it off.

Kageyama, however, bearing his lesser known mother’s surname, would likely be unable to start fresh on his own.

Both of them moving away wouldn’t really solve Suga’s problems, regardless, so it’s something of a useless fantasy. If he’s going to fantasize, might as well make it fantasies that save him from reality.

“Has she told you what you’re going to be doing tomorrow?” Hinata asks. They can’t help him with his fruitless tasks - the last servant who tried got ten lashes and subsequently ran away. The woman had threatened a worse punishment to whoever tried it next.

He shakes his head, swallowing a yawn before either of them can see it. The moon has barely crested the horizon - it’s unreasonable to ask them to leave yet. “Probably something physical. Maybe going into the village to retrieve her orders of food or liquor. It’s alright. I’ll manage.”

Hinata’s eyes flare. “You shouldn’t have to! Why is it that she treats you worse than she treats us?! That doesn’t even make any sense! You have noble blood!”

Suga’s tried to explain before that his blood actually doesn’t look any different than Hinata’s “peasant” blood, but the poor kid doesn’t seem to grasp the concept, so he just leaves it for tonight. His eyes are so tired. “I remind her that her plan failed. She’s a gold digger. She wanted to take my father for all he had, then stage an accident where both me and my father died. Disease took my father before her plan was ready, bringing attention to our situation, and has left us in the precarious balance where we are now. People know I’m here, know that my father left his wealth to me in his will when I come of age. She could kill me off, but that wouldn’t get her the money. She can’t abandon me, because people still praise her for taking me under her wing. She can’t kill me, I can’t run away with running the risk of her getting my money, and her pride won’t let her treat me normally. So she torments me, my existence torments her, and no one wins or gets the money.” He’s explained this before, but Hinata forgets the details pretty easily.

Yamaguchi hums, eyebrows drawn together. His freckles are pretty in the dim light. “Hinata’s right. There has to be another way. Some law we can lean on, some loophole. Something.”

Suga shrugs. “I can’t read anything more complex than basic words. Hinata can’t read, and you can only read what… some Chinese, right, Yamaguchi? Even if I could read easily, and I had a key to the library, who would I appeal to? The baroness doesn’t do anything more complex than tax collection unless she has to, and the royal family receives so many requests, mine would be buried instantly. There’s nothing to do but wait until I come of age. Then, I’ll build a fortune for myself and hire you both to advise me and we’ll all live in comfort together and meet lots of people and won’t have to sneak or do chores ever again.”

Giggling warmly, Yamaguchi squeezes his shoulder and makes to leave. “Whatever you say, Suga. C’mon Hinata, Suga only starts talking like this when he’s exhausted. We should let him rest.”

He stands obediently, cheery as ever. “When you hire us, you should talk Kageyama into coming too,” he says with a yawn of his own as he stretches his arms toward the low ceiling. If he weren’t so small, he’d probably scrape his hands. “He could use some help becoming less stupid.”

Snorting, Suga gives Hinata a weary thumbs up. “Whatever you say.”

When the two servants finally leave, taking his dishes and leaving him in the quiet darkness, Suga curls up on the mattress. His blanket, a hand woven creation, the last thing he has of his mother, is not warm enough for the cool spring nights, but he opens the tiny window regardless. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga starts another day of work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little bit longer and you get to meet a couple more characters!!! I hope you guys like it!!!!

The morning comes way too soon, but the tiny mouse hands on his face, manipulating his eyebrows and lips, wake him regardless.

“Tanaka, stah.” Suga mumbles at the mouse who’s currently pulling his bottom lip as close to his toes as he can manage. Tanaka does as is ordered of him, leaving Suga’s mouth free to address the other mouse. “Noya,  _ do not do what I think you’re about to do with that sewing needle _ .”

Tanaka cackles, rolling down Suga’s torso as Noya squeaks, “Suga, you’d look amazing with an eyebrow piercing!”

“My stepmother would kill me,” Suga yawns, stretching. “Not all of us are fashion icons like you two.” The joke, that mice don’t wear clothes and thus cannot be fashion icons, is lost on the two of them, as they’ve started a modelling contest, showing off their mouse musculature. 

To tell the truth, Suga isn’t exactly sure how or why Tanaka and Nishinoya, who are mice, talk and have the ability to rationalize or think, but he’s not in the position to question or care. These two, as goofy and supernatural as their existence may be, save his skin once a morning by waking him.

His stepmother insists upon him being up and cleaning before the sun but has never once offered him anything to help him do so. He’s not a miracle worker, as has been proven countless times, but the steep punishment for sleeping in made for several stressed, sleepless nights in the past.

Then, these two bozos tumbled in through his window and took it upon themselves to wake him every morning. They claim they just like having a friend that isn’t a mouse and doesn’t look at them like they’re abominations. Suga has always wondered if there’s something more to it, but again, he’s not exactly in the position to question their motives.

And they are friendly. And funny. There is precious little  _ funny _ in his life.

“What should I wear today?” Suga sarcastically asks no one in particular. He pulls a clean(ish) tunic and his soft brown capris, dressing slowly in the dark. He has no light source outside of the sky, so it’s entirely by touch. 

Noya scrambles up his back, claws not brushing his back but hooking in his tunic. He scrambles up, helping Suga sort out his hair. Despite what Suga would assume to be something of a disadvantageous position, Nishinoya always manages to make his hair look presentable enough that his stepmother never comments on it.

That said, he knows he needs to cut his hair and wash it soon. It’s been two days since the last wash, and it’s starting to get really gross looking. The length is not helping either. 

“What’s on the docket today?” Tanaka asks, nibbling on the bread Suga had hidden from the servants under the pillow specifically to feed these two. “More floors?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, actually.”

Someone pounds on his door, loud enough to rattle death’s doors. “Get to the village and pick up my orders from the seamstress, blacksmith, and cordwainer! You get one cart!”

He nods, not surprised. Physical labor in town. He supposes there’s a minimal amount of pleasure from being right about things that aren’t fun nor fair nor good. “That’s what’s on my docket today.” Judging by her usual quantity of orders, that’d be at least five trips with one cart. He’d be lucky if he were done by sunset and that’s without food breaks or bathroom pauses.

But he could do it. And that’s better than normal. At least this task is possible.

“Ya know, Suga?” Nishinoya says, swinging his tail over the edge of the dresser as he snatches handfuls of bread from Tanaka. “I think something’s gonna change. I feel it.”

Suga pulls on the lackluster sacks of worn out leather that he calls shoes, feeling his muscles protest at the mere thought of work. “You say that at least once a week. Your feelings haven’t been true yet.”

“This time is different!” Nishinoya protests, just as he always does, and Suga sighs deeply.

“Right.”

Suga’s mind is already travelling the grounds, thinking of the best routes to get to what he needs. She always has the servants hide the cart if she wants him using it, so he’ll have to go looking for it. He’s got a couple ideas already, knowing the servants have habits with hiding. Partially because they’re even more fed up with this petty game of hide and seek than Suga is, partially because they’re never very awake when she wakes them to do these unnecessary tasks. 

By the time he gets to the village, the blacksmith would be open. He could take as much from there first, probably two trips at least, and by the time he was back for his third trip, he could start the trips from the seamstress. The cordwainer was known for being a little slow - if this morning was promised, it’d be this afternoon before the shoes were finished. It wouldn’t be too bad - it hadn’t rained in the past week, so the path would be navigable and the people in town were usually quite friendly. Of course, generally unaware of the true nature of his whole situation, but friendly. Certainly more pleasant than his stepmother. A pissed off starving adder is more pleasant company than his stepmother though, so he’s not sure if that’s a compliment.

“SUGA!” Tanaka and Nishinoya squeal, finally regaining his attention. “How many months until you’re free?” Tanaka asks, whiskers twitching. He asks this at least once a week, as common conversation topics are a bit sparse when between two mice and a half-starved teenager who's treated like a slave.

“Thirteen and a half months,” he sighs. “Feels longer every day.”

Noya squeaks his sympathy, tugging on one strand of his hair. “You’re so close!" He's jumping up and down, and if Suga had to guess, probably doing jumping jacks. "Don’t give up now! We’ve got your back. You’ll make it. I promise.”

Suga smiles, weak and gentle. “Thanks, you two. I appreciate your help. I’ll try to get something yummy for you guys tonight.”

Nishinoya hugs his head, and Tanaka his arm. "You don't have to get us anything," Tanaka says seriously, squeezing his bicep extra tight. "You should eat everything you get. We get enough food. You don't."

Tears well in Suga's eyes. How come these mice are kinder than his stepmother? "Alright. Thanks, guys."

They leap to the windowsill, looking back at Suga. “Don’t give up, Suga,” Nishinoya says again, his eyes piercing. “Please.”

He smiles. “I won’t. That’d be giving her exactly what she wants.”

Tanaka grins a feral grin, laughing. “ _ Hell yeah _ , Sugawara.” He says his name like it’s something to be proud of. Like it’s good to be a Sugawara. “Stick it to ‘em!”

If his stepmother wouldn’t have them killed simply for the kindness they show him, Sugawara would beg them to stay with him all day. But she would, so he doesn’t. He watches them run off into the sunrise, waiting till they disappear, before rising himself and heading for the first hiding spot he suspects the cart to be hidden.

By the third trip back into town, Suga’s legs are burning. 

The cart is empty, but it’s meant to be drawn by a donkey or a mule or perhaps a pony or alpaca. If Suga hadn’t had years to get over the embarrassment of a scrawny, shorter-than-average boy pulling a cart meant to be pulled by animals, he might still get red in the face at the thought.

Long story short, the cart alone is heavy too, and the trail into town is hilly and not particularly smooth.

He’s hungry and tired and thirsty and the sun, risen to the hottest point in the day, is none too cool as it beats down on his neck, face, and shoulders. He’s going to be burned tomorrow. Sore, burnt, and tired.

He supposes it could be worse. At least he’s outside and not washing that gods-forsaken floor. Despite the hot spring sun and the cart, he loves the fresh air and he can hear music and laughter echoing toward him from the village. If it weren’t for this cart, and this wasn’t his third trip, he’d probably be in a great mood. 

At least he’s already climbed the highest hill, so it’s mostly downhill the rest of the trip. At least he doesn’t have broken glass in his feet (been there, done that, would prefer never to do anything like that again). At least it’s a nice day. At least it’s not muddy. At least Hinata and Yamaguchi hadn’t been discovered last night, so they were safe another day. At least he’s alive. At least he can still picture his mother’s face in his mind.

The seamstress is a pleasant girl named Yachi. She’s probably younger than Suga if he had to guess, but she is responsible and kind and careful and charges less than any other seamstresses in the town, so for the most part people leave her be. Rumor says her mother died recently, and she moved in soon after, so there’s no one who can say for sure she’s under the legal age of independence anyways.

However, she’s busy today so her employee, a boy around Suga’s age named Akaashi, is collecting the various suits and dresses that his stepmother ordered, the disgust at the sheer quantity evident on his face. He has never tried to hide his distaste for Suga’s stepmother.

Suga likes Akaashi. This isn’t the only reason, but anyone who dislikes his stepmother is automatically likable in Suga’s book.

“I’m a stitcher,” he grumbles under his breath at one point after handing Suga the seventh suit for Kageyama. “And I don’t own this many suits.”

Suga just laughs. The irony is that this is only a small percentage of the number already inside the mansion.

“These are all for one woman?” He asks at another point, after handing Suga the  _ twelfth  _ dress for his stepmother. Suga shrugs, nodding. “What the hell.” This is not a question. Suga snorts. It’s hard not to like Akaashi. He says what needs said, unapologetically. 

“Do you need help?” He asks, when he realizes that Suga will need to take two trips to get all the clothes from here to the mansion. “I’m sure Yachi would let you use our mule. You can use our harness too.” Suga doesn’t get a chance to turn him down, his cheeks pink, before Akaashi continues with, “And why is this woman buying all these dresses instead of a mule so you don’t have to pull the cart like a slave? You are her step-son, are you not?”

That is, of course, the downside to Akaashi unapologetically saying whatever needs said. He sometimes says things that deserve said, but probably still shouldn’t be voiced. 

“She has mules. She thinks it’s funnier when I do it myself,” Suga finally says. Akaashi opens his mouth, probably to insult her in one manner or another, but Suga keeps going. “And I can handle it. If I borrowed your mule, you would find yourself mysteriously without an animal, and she would take her business elsewhere.” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something of that nature, but he doesn’t say that. “Thank you for the offer, though. It means a lot.” And it does. For as cruel as his stepmother can be, it’s a good reminder that not everyone sucks.

Akaashi narrows his eyes, nodding slowly. He reminds Suga of an owl: piercing, seemingly unblinking eyes, with sharp cheekbones and a slim, straight nose. His slim, sleek figure and strong posture add to the image. “If your life is in danger, you will borrow the mule,” he says casually, and Suga knows what he means. He is slow to nod in return, but Akaashi stares at him until he nods more firmly.

He is glad to know Akaashi. It’s nice to feel valued by someone who doesn’t pity him. Akaashi doesn’t pity him. He thinks his situation is dangerous and unsafe, and expresses his desire for Suga to not be there, but doesn’t judge.

“Thanks, Akaashi,” Sugawara smiles as he picks up the front end of the cart. “See you in a bit.” He’ll be back for the rest of the dresses and suits, then, if he has room, will be off to the cordwainer. 

Akaashi is no more subtle about his distaste for Suga’s situation during his second trip to the seamstress’, but doesn’t suggest the mule again or otherwise offer help. Just says the mule will be his to borrow should his life be endangered. 

He can’t imagine fitting shoes into the cart with the dresses, so he resigns himself to the fourth trip to the mansion and back to town, rolling his eyes as he returns to the town for the fifth time today. The sun is lower in the sky, and the afternoon heat is finally beginning to shed from the air. The birds are yelling (it can’t really be described as singing, as he’s pretty sure it’s two birds fighting) and the sun is still shining and though Suga knows he stinks (there’s no way he doesn’t, drenched in sweat) and he’s  _ so  _ hungry and thirsty, but this  _ should _ be the last trip. 

He hopes Hinata and Yamaguchi will steal food for him. His stepmother will probably forget to feed him, and the kitchen staff get punished if he steals food. He feels guilty just  _ hoping  _ for that, because there’s every chance Hinata and Yamaguchi will get punished, but he’s so tired of being hungry. His stomach isn’t even roaring anymore - the hunger is just a dull ache that seeps through his entire being, making his joints creaky and his mind slow. 

“Shoes for Lady Kageyama?” Suga asks wearily as he approaches the cordwainers’ counter. “She should have already paid for them?”

“Suga!” Ennoshita, the owner of the business, smiles as he pulls out a piece of parchment, skimming through it. “You look like hell. Are you okay?”

Suga blinks at him. “I’m okay.”

He narrows his eyes, dark eyes with dark bags beneath them. Suga wants to ask if Ennoshita slept last night - he sometimes gets enthralled with creative ideas and forgets to sleep - but Suga probably looks the same, so he doesn’t ask. 

Ennoshita pulls a pitcher out from behind the counter, fills a simple clay glass with water, and places it in front of him. “Kozume just drew it from the well out back. It’s cold. Drink it.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. This act of kindness will never be discovered by his stepmother. He drinks it slow, savoring every cool, refreshing sip. Some of the aching in his bones lessens. When he’s finished the glass, Ennoshita takes it, refills it, and watches him silently as he drains it again.

“You’re the hardest worker I’ve ever seen,” he says simply, before yelling back to Kenma about whose orders he needs to be pulling out of their store room. “You can always come here for water, if you need it,” he continues, eyeing Suga. 

Suga nods. “Thank you, Ennoshita. I will keep that in mind.” The offer is sweet and selfless - drawing water from the well can be a tedious task, and offering that water to a stranger who you stand to gain nothing from deserves appreciation. It takes a large portion of the day to make trips into town by foot, and he hardly ever has a moment to himself, much less a large portion of the day. Ennoshita doesn’t know that he’s not allowed to use any of his stepmother’s animals, doesn’t know that this is the fifth trip into town he’s made today, but offers him water nonetheless.

Kenma comes out of the back carrying, from Suga’s estimation, nearly thirty individual cloth bags, each containing a new pair of leather shoes. He looks particularly irritated by the sheer number of bags, but Suga has never seen him look anything less than mildly agitated, so he doesn’t think much of it, instead taking the gratuitous bags of shoes in his arms. He nods to Ennoshita, to Kenma, then leaves, carefully stacking the numerous bags in the cart. 

The last walk back feels the longest of them. Perhaps it’s the hope that he’s done for today, or the prayer that’s become a mantra in his mind:  _ please Hinata, Yamaguchi, bring me food. I am so hungry. _ Perhaps it’s the fact the sun is setting and mosquitoes are coming out. Or maybe it’s how sore his limbs are. Maybe it’s all of the above.

Either way, the walk feels like it takes days. 

When he finally makes it back to the mansion for the last time today, he busies himself preparing the merchandise for inspection. His stepmother always does this when he retrieves products from the town. She checks over the clothes for creases and dirt and dust, the tools and finery for smudges of any sort, the shoes for dirt and dust. If he had gone for fresh fruit or vegetables, the smallest imperfection would lose him any chance of dinner tonight.

He’s gotten  _ very _ good at preparing for inspection.

He lays out all the suits and dresses over a  _ very _ clean table, ensuring nothing gets creased or bent anywhere it isn’t supposed to be. The tools and silverware, he polishes then lays on a separate table. The shoes too are polished and laid out below the table on the newly cleaned strip of floor.

When his stepmother graces him with her presence after far too long a wait, he can see her cruel, sharp eyes searching, scanning for imperfections. Anything to excuse punishing him for. When she eyes him suspiciously, pride snakes down his spine. That’s a sure sign she can’t find anything. 

“Get dinner then wash. You reek.” Her voice is sharp and leaves no room for argument. Suga could sigh in relief, but doesn’t dare do anything until she’s out of earshot. She looks at him again, not leaving as she usually does. Suga holds his breath. “You have tomorrow off.”

Then she leaves. He’s frozen in place until the door slams behind her.

A grin, disbelieving and relieved sweeps over his features. He can count on one hand the number of days off he’s had since his father died.

For all her faults, his stepmother never goes back on her word. If she says he gets a day off, he gets a day off. Especially now that she considers the conversation over. Even if he did something she deems punishable now, she wouldn’t retract her statement. She’d just punish him a lot  _ after _ his day off. 

But, he can’t even think of two days ahead right now. All that’s on his mind is  _ dinner _ . He gets food. For once, he doesn’t have to rely on Hinata and Yamaguchi. In fact, he could probably have dinner  _ with  _ them, for once. He’s absolutely bone-weary, and simultaneously ecstatic.

_ And _ , he’ll be able to snag breakfast for both him and the mice, which is always a win.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga has dinner with the servants.

He meanders his way to the kitchen, mouth watering. When he finally gets there, the kitchen staff are cleaning up the last of the mess, but smile when they see him and start pulling things out again for him.

He thanks them until he’s blue in the face, which they laugh off and stuff bread and cheese and  _ strawberries _ in his mouth to shut him up.  _ We don’t see you here enough _ , they say, and  _ we’re always worried you don’t get enough to eat _ . 

He doesn’t answer the unasked questions, stuffing his face until his stomach hurts from overeating. He’ll have to be careful he doesn’t throw up everything he just ate, but he’s so happy. Being full is not a feeling he’ll ever take for granted. 

The cooks pack him breakfast in a cloth sack without him asking, but he gladly thanks them and takes it with him.

Then he wanders into the servants’ bathhouse. Strips, climbs into the lukewarm water. It was hot earlier in the day, and then made hot again before dinner, but now is left to chill before it's drained to be used to water plants, then refilled again in the morning. He doesn’t even care though. It feels good to be weightless and cool and feel the soot and sweat and grime wash away. The soap and the cloth are abrasive on his skin, but he doesn’t care as he washes himself, scrubbing til his skin is red and irritated.

Then he soaks, keeping his ears underwater and closing his eyes so the world around him is empty and echo-y, quiet and gurgling. He stays until his skin is pruney and rubbery, til his nails are flimsy. When he climbs out of the water, he debates dunking his clothes. They’re sweaty and nasty, damp as it is. He looks at them, considers the fact that he has to put them back on (he only has two sets of clothes as it is) and dunks them. 

When he finally redresses, the clothes more than a little damp but  _ far _ cleaner than before (and certainly less smelly), he stumbles back toward the mansion, with every intent of finding Hinata and Yamaguchi. They won’t have the next day off (that is the disadvantage of being paid and fairly treated staff with set vacations and limited sick days) but they’re always telling Suga he needs a day off. Besides, he needs to thank them for their kindnesses, and voluntarily seeking them out is a good way to start.

They’re in the servants quarters, quietly talking with a couple of the other servants. Moniwa and Takeru, some of the more upbeat servants who are tasked with serving his stepmother, are teasing the younger two, currently pointing out Hinata’s obvious affection for Kageyama, which Hinata is rebuffing.

Suga comes over and plops down among them, giggling at the shade of Hinata’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, Hinata. It’s hardly a secret, so if Tobio minded he’d probably have fired you by now,” he consoles with a cheeky smile, and Hinata moans miserably. 

Yamaguchi laughs, which makes Takeru’s attention turn to him immediately. “Oh, don’t even get me  _ started  _ on the goo-goo eyes you make at that baroness’ son, Freckles. You’d think that guy was royalty by the way you look at him.”

“Tsukishima Kei?” Suga asks in wonder, grinning in delight. His status as “stepmother’s favorite victim” means that he doesn’t get to see Yamaguchi or Hinata interact with people outside the household much, which means he misses important tidbits like this. “Does precious Yamaguchi Tadashi have a crush on beanpole Tsukishima Kei?”

Yamaguchi’s blush rivals Hinata’s. 

Moniwa turns his attention to Sugawara. “So, we’ve determined that I’m married to the job, Hinata’s got eyes on Kageyama Tobio, Yamaguchi’s type is blond, apathetic, and skinny, and Takeru thinks romantic relationships are some kind of fantasy creature. What does Sugawara’s type look like? Who’s caught your eye today, Sugawara Koushi?”

Sugawara considers the question. The first face to pop into his mind is Akaashi, but he eventually determines no, that would never work. Akaashi is empathetic, funny, and smart, but he doesn’t have enough of a filter. He says things, sometimes not even aware his words might hurt those they are directed at. Besides, he’s pretty sure Akaashi’s harboring something of a royal celebrity crush and Suga certainly does not fit that type. 

He considers Ennoshita too, and Kenma. Neither of them are particularly attractive to him either. He can’t put his finger on it. 

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Takeru snorts, rapping his knuckles gently against Suga’s head. “You get lost in there?”

“I don’t think I have a type?” Suga says, his own surprise evident in his voice. “I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever had a crush on.”

“Kiyoko?” Hinata offers, to which Suga shrugs. The travelling merchant is certainly beautiful, but anyone with eyes can determine that. Doesn’t mean they’re attracted to them. 

“Yukie?” Yamaguchi says, but the same applies. Yukie, a travelling witch, is beautiful, tender and funny, but Suga’s not particularly attracted to her either.

“Akaashi, the stitcher? Ennoshita the cordwainer?” asks Takeru, but Suga shakes his head. “Azumane?” Then, as the thought hits him, he mimes upchucking. “Oikawa?”

“The prince? Prince Sawamura?” Moniwa offers, leaning back to think. “I’ve never seen any of the paintings of him, but he’s supposed to be pretty hot. Buff and manly and all that shit.” Moniwa says this as if he’s not tall, buff, and manly as all hell. Suga does not share this thought out loud.

Instead, he shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever met Azumane, and I’m not desperate enough for Oikawa.” He grins then. “And what makes you think I would know what the prince looks like?”

Moniwa shrugs. “I’ve learned it’s best not to underestimate you, Sugawara. You tend to defy expectations whenever anyone tries.”

It’s silent for a moment while Sugawara stares into all their eyes. “You guys placed bets on me again, didn’t you? Dammit, I told you guys to stop doing that!”

“Narita said he watched you take five trips to town today? Suga, that’s insane. He said you didn’t stop for food or water once.”

“You’ve got to run at some point!”

“Suga, have you ever considered running away?”

“You’ve got to be some kind of masochist for staying here!”

Suga just shakes his head. “I’m not going to run. I’ve told you guys before.”

“I just don’t understand why,” Hinata pouts. “You’re treated like crap here. You never get a break, you’re starved and abused and don’t allow anyone to stand up for you or help you. You could run away and never come back and finally find someone to love! You could start a farm or a stable or a smithery or a cordwainers’ or anything!” As that is all said in one breath, Hinata heaves for air, before continuing. “You’d start the best business in the kingdom, and we’d all come and work for you instead of Lady Grumpy-Britches and even the royal family would shop there!”

“As if you’d be able to leave Tobio,” Yamaguchi prods, to which Hinata pouts even more, grumbling about how that’s not true, and for Suga, he’d leave.

“Hinata, if I leave now, I don’t get what’s mine. My father was very specific in his will. If I want to inherit his fortune, I need to reach maturity in my stepmother’s care. The moment I turn eighteen winters, you bet your left buttcheek that I will leave here. But I want what’s mine, what was my mother’s. I won’t let her take any more of what’s mine away from me.” He ruffles Hinata’s hair, exhaustion settling in his bones. He needs to sleep. “But I’ll hold you to that promise when I’m looking for employees. And I want to meet Natsu.” He stands, every vertebrae in his back cracking all at once.

Hinata smiles despite himself, eyes adoring as they look up at Suga. “Alright. Deal.”

“Good night, Suga,” Yamaguchi says with a smile. “Sleep well.”

“Yeah, you look like death,” Moniwa offers sympathetically, and Takeru nods his agreement.

“Will do,” he yawns, heading back to his little closet bedroom.

He curls up in his bed, his mind whirring as it winds down. Thoughts of what he’ll do tomorrow, what he’ll eat, where he’ll go all whisk and ricochet off one another, trains of thought colliding and meshing and splitting apart. One thought, though, keeps resurfacing. 

_ … Find someone to love _ … 

…  _ I don’t think I have a type… _

He knows he experiences romantic attraction. When he first met Kiyoko, he was sure she was his soulmate. The more he got to know her, though, he realized that simply wasn’t true. Firstly, she’s a lesbian, which complicates the possibility of their relationship, but secondly, they just… wouldn’t mesh. She’s quiet and unendingly shy with personal relationships, and is utterly focused on her business. She doesn’t enjoy taking risks or adventures, really. And she pities him, which Suga doesn’t really appreciate much.

Why couldn’t he think of one hot person? Who would he bang if they asked?

He’d probably bang Akaashi, but Akaashi would never ask. Same with Kenma. 

But sex is one thing, love is another. Hinata’s too sunshine-y and pure to have meant a purely physical relationship and Suga’s pretty sure he wasn’t talking about the platonic love Suga has for his friends. Suga isn’t sure he believes in true love, though, which only makes the idea harder to wrap his tired mind around. He thinks he’d like a partner, someone he could trust and kiss and cuddle with. Someone who wouldn’t look at all his broken pieces and get cut on the sharp edges, but also doesn’t tiptoe around him like a terrified rabbit. But he isn’t sure someone like that exists.

And even if someone that perfect existed, why would they want him in return?

He misses his mom, his real mom, more than ever in moments like these. His mom would know what to say, what to think, if she were here. She always seemed to be able to understand him, even the thoughts he couldn’t put to words. She was gentle and kind and submissive, but she loved him like no one else will ever be able to. She knew what love was, Suga is sure, because she loved him and she loved his father, even if he didn’t love her the same way. She would know how to help him narrow down his type.

It’s the thought of her face, her smile, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed at Suga’s stupid kid-jokes, that finally lets him fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading! This fic was an absolute blast to write (I wrote nearly 10,000 words of it in one day if that tells you anything) and all of the love it's been getting absolutely makes my day!
> 
> On a more serious note and not directly related to this fic: To any who may have some of my other works, it has come to my attention that one of the first fic I posted to this site was insensitive and ignorant to the struggles of gambling. That was not my intention when writing or posting it years ago. I was completely and utterly horrified to realize this, and took it down immediately.   
> Long story short, if I ever write something insensitive or ignorant about one topic or another, please point it out to me! I want to learn!
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga gets a day off and more rumors about the Prince circle around Karasuno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter, but I'm pretty sure the next one is pretty long so it balances out! That's how that works, right? XD Enjoy!

The next morning comes too soon, the mice waking him like any other day, but Suga welcomes it. He doesn’t want to sleep through his entire day off. He’ll get up early, have fun and do what he wants with most of the day, have an early dinner, and go to bed early.

Tanaka and Noya are ecstatic and overly grateful when he shows them the food, but insist he eat half of it himself. They quickly realize his lack of hurry, and the lack of servants coming down and giving him tasks, and put two and two together. Before Suga can explain, they’re on their knees, or at least as close to knees as mice can get, begging for forgiveness.

Suga just laughs, petting them both on the head, the way he knows they like. “Do you think I would have left the window open if I didn’t want you to wake me up? Besides, you guys are my friends. Even on my days off, I still want to see you, make sure you’re okay, all that nonsense.”

They blink up at him for a second, before laughing in relief. “I could definitely have opened the window!” Tanaka crows, and Nishinoya growls.

“No, you could not have! We’re both too small!”

Tanaka makes a snide comment about how they’re hardly the same size, and Nishinoya, the obviously smaller of the two, takes him down in a flying tackle, squeaking about how size hardly matters and is entirely relative.

It’s to this ruckus that Suga calmly dresses, his excitement growing. He’s terribly sunburned, as he predicted, and saying his muscles are angry would be an understatement, but even these discomforts cannot take this joy away from him. A day off.

He pulls one of the bricks in the wall free, reaching into his secret cubbyhole. He doesn’t get paid, as he’s technically not a servant, and doesn’t have the allowance that Oikawa nor Kageyama have, so any money he finds (forgotten coins, leftover change, whatever he can safely take) is hoarded away to safety, for use on days like today. He can’t buy anything that might lead to his stepmother suspecting his possession of money, but he  _ can _ buy food in the town or attend travelling performances or tip the musicians in the inn’s tavern. Things that make him happy without being suspicious.

“So whaddya think you’re gonna do today?” Nishinoya asks, intrigued. He scurries up to sit on Suga’s shoulder, and Tanaka joins him shortly. They ride quite comfortably as Suga makes his way toward the kitchens. It’s early, and no one who would question him would be awake yet, and he intends to snag more of those strawberries.

“I want to go into town and just… walk around,” Suga whispers as he fills a small satchel with strawberries, cheese, and bread. He begins munching on a carrot before saying, “Maybe visit a shrine or my parents’ graves.”

“Can we come too?” Tanaka asks, and Nishinoya scampers across the back of his neck just to punch him.

Suga smiles at them both. “Of course. I hardly ever get to spend actual time with you guys.” He looks over when he hears rapid whispering, watching as they have an extraordinarily quiet argument back and forth between them, neither apparently budging on their stance.

When they finally stop, it’s clear they haven’t come to an agreement by the way they sit, their arms crossed and their ears back, tails lashing behind them. He stops, waiting for an explanation.

Nishinoya grumbles before saying, “He shouldn’t have asked that. It’s rude. And we actually have things we were supposed to do today, but now I don’t want to do them because it’s more fun to hang out with you.”

Suga smiles incredulously. “You’re mice. You don’t have jobs. What could you possibly have to do?”

Noya just stares back at him, face expressionless. “How would you know? You’re not a mouse.”

Blinking rapidly, smile falling even faster from his face, the look on his face one of his whole world falling apart, he says, “ _ Do  _ mice have jobs?”

Nishinoya grins. “That’s for us to know and you to find out.”

He groans. “But that’s not fair! I’m never gonna find out!”

Meanwhile, Tanaka is rolling with laughter, almost falling off of Suga. “The look on his face!” When he recovers, he pats Suga’s cheek consolingly. “Don’t worry, man. We don’t have mouse jobs. That would require mass mouse cooperation and organization, and frankly I don’t think most mice are interested in that. Can you imagine though? Mouse education? Mouse jobs requiring specialized training? Mouse architecture?”

Suga lets out a sigh of relief, his whole world no longer falling apart. “That was cruel, Nishinoya.”

Nishinoya clucks his tongue, which Suga didn’t know mice could do. “So is the fact that we really do have things we have to do today, and we can’t stay and hang out. Gotta bring home the bacon, ya know?”

Partially to keep them longer and partially because he is genuinely curious, Suga asks, “Do you two have families you provide for?”

Nishinoya giggles. “We have families. Saying we provide for them is probably a stretch. We help out, for sure. I’ve got a little sister!”

“I’ve got an older sister,” Tanaka grumbles. “She’s a pain.”

“I want to meet them sometime,” Suga says, offering the two of them a hand to the ground. “And the rest of your families. I’ve never met a mouse family before.”

Noya mumbles something under his breath, but Suga doesn’t catch it, and the two mice bound off into the underbrush with called goodbyes before he can ask. 

He shakes his head, and begins the long trek to town.

When he gets there, he finds breakfast in a road-side vendor, fresh warm bread and butter. The town is much more energetic today than yesterday, and people are bustling about despite the early time of day. It doesn’t take long before Suga pieces together what has everyone in a tizzy.

_ The prince rejected another suitor! _

_ Auntie Theophania says that the prince is planning a kingdom-wide search for a suitable partner! _

_ The prince? You mean King Sawamura’s son? _

_ Do you think Prince Sawamura will come here to Karasuno? _

_ Prince Sawamura plans on visiting every town! _

_ Prince Sawamura is coming to Karasuno! _

Suga rolls his eyes. Of  _ course _ , that’s what has the town all worked up. A rumor that a member of the royal family is going to visit their tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. That makes sense. 

He doesn’t ruin their excitement by pointing out that if this rumor is even a little bit true, it’s likely he’ll find a suitable partner long before he reaches Karasuno, and even if he doesn’t, it’ll be months before he comes here. Karasuno isn’t a border town, but it is on essentially the opposite side of the kingdom from the kingdom’s capital. It might even be a year, because the winter months make travel immensely more difficult and Karasuno is surrounded by a mountain range. So if they’re cleaning and preparing as if someone will arrive by lunch, they’re going to be disappointed.

No, he doesn’t point any of this out, instead enjoying the excitement in the air and wandering the town uninhibited. He visits Akaashi and Yachi and Ennoshita and Kenma, even finds out who Azumane is. Apparently, he’s a stitcher who works with Yachi and Akaashi, but only in the back, since he’s really shy and anxious.

He finds music in the inn and art at a trader's stand and laughter among the children of the town as they careen through the streets, but most importantly he finds glimmers of happiness in the way the sunlight crashes over the buildings and cascades down people's faces. For just a little while, he's reminded that the world is beautiful and not everything is cruel and harsh and infinite.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Sawamura Daichi is not amused.

Prince Sawamura Daichi thinks this is a bad idea. Co-captains of the Guard Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou think it's their best idea yet.

"Think about it!" Bokuto says, bouncing up and down on Daichi's bed, his armor clanking loudly. "We get to travel all over the kingdom, meeting the hottest people we can find! No responsibilities, no paperwork, just pure fun!"

"Besides, no one is thinking about it the way you're thinking about it," Kuroo purrs from where he's lying on Daichi's table. Daichi wonders why he allows these hooligans into his personal quarters. The castle servants must think he's a buffoon. "You think it makes you look shallow. But to the people, they think you're being picky, looking for a partner that will best serve the kingdom.  _ And _ you're giving people who are not royalty or upper class a chance to change their fate. You're not swayed by money or power, just by righteous love for your people. What's not to like?"

Daichi groans.

"If you consider the survey results-" Bokuto starts, only to be obnoxiously interrupted by a coughing fit from Kuroo. He frowns, only pausing long enough for Kuroo to run out of air and stop, before beginning again. "But the survey-"

"Bokuto Koutarou," Kuroo interrupts a little more directly, rolling over to stare Bokuto square in the eyes. “I thought, given our earlier discussion regarding this hypothetical survey that may or may not exist, we had come to the conclusion that it would probably be best for present company to remain ignorant of the existence of the possibility of such a survey.”

Bokuto’s wide, round eyes blink once, twice, as he processes Kuroo’s words. “Shit.”

Daichi looks at Bokuto. Then at Kuroo. Then at his feet. “I don’t want to know,” he says, deciding if Kuroo had thought it would be better if he didn’t know, he trusted his judgement.

Kuroo grins a shit-eating grin. “Well, since the cat’s out of the bag, and because you asked so nicely, I guess we can tell you all about it. Go ahead, Bo.”

Daichi closes his eyes and takes deep breaths, trying to channel his inner calm, because there’s certainly no calm to be found outside, where Bokuto is explaining how he and Kuroo put on disguises and wandering the inner city, surveying civilians to figure out their views on Daichi’s cross-country dating extravaganza. Bokuto had just wanted to ask, but it was Kuroo who wrote everything down and then made graphs. Fortunately, since Daichi’s eyes are closed, he can’t attest to the existence of such graphs, but Kuroo’s voice explaining everything about them while paper rustles hints at the possibility of them being real.

Apparently, the results were more positive than negative, though neither of them really goes into detail as to what qualifies as negative versus positive, so Daichi isn’t sure what to make of it.

“Disguises?” He asks tiredly. “And  _ when _ did you two have time to do this?” In addition to being captains of the guard, they are also his appointed personal guard, supposed to accompany him everywhere. The fact that he himself appointed them by choice is a fact that Daichi laments often. 

“Remember that super secret council meeting that we were not invited to last week?” Bokuto rumbles from where his face is buried in a pillow. “We escorted you there then left. Goodness knows you were safe. There was a small army surrounding that room, and most of the people in the room were warriors.”

Shaking his head to clear it, he gets back to the main worry at hand. “I cannot  _ believe _ you two approached my father with this idea.”

Both snort, but it’s Bokuto who rolls over to say. “Pssh,  _ no _ . We’re not stupid. We went to your mom.”

“Then your  _ mom _ told your dad.” Kuroo shrugs. “We know how much pressure you’ve been under recently to marry and take over and all that shit. Your mom always telling you to marry someone you love and your father always arguing to find the best political and strategic marriage… it’s gotta suck when all the people who propose to you are dull as hell and female. It’s been stressing you out. We can tell.”

Bokuto chimes in with, “Uh huh! You’re always tired and you’ve always got a headache.”

“We know it’s kinda silly and immature, but we thought it might get you out of the castle for a while and give you some space from responsibility.” Kuroo slips down off the table to check out the window, then the door, always on guard.

“Besides, who knows? Maybe you’ll find the guy of your dreams!” Bokuto grins eagerly, but his eyes are on Kuroo, looking for the smallest sign that shit was about to hit the ceiling. 

Daichi feels his jaw drop. 

He forgets sometimes that Bokuto and Kuroo aren’t just two idiots who happen to be his best friends. He forgets that Bokuto and Kuroo are where they are because they are two of the most talented knights in the kingdom, who fought their way to the top. He forgets that as stupid as they can be, they are immensely intelligent people who just care enough about Daichi and know how Daichi cares about them that they feel safe pretending to be idiots.

He forgets that they would do anything to keep him safe, keep him healthy and happy. Even if it means going before the queen of Haikyu and suggesting that she should allow her son, who is almost of age to take the throne, to travel across the kingdom in search of true love, not because they’re stupid, but because they care about him and they could see he was stressed and struggling under the pressure. 

He’s silent for a long moment, trying to compose his thoughts, before he says, “Thanks, guys. I mean it.” He’s not nearly as good at showing it, but he cares about them too. A lot. As crown prince, it’s hard to take good, loyal, true friends for granted.

It’s quiet for a moment, as Kuroo and Bokuto look at him, then each other, before they nod. “You’re welcome,” Kuroo says with a satisfied smile. “I told you he’d come around, Bo.”

“I never said he wouldn’t!” Bokuto yells. “You were the one who-”

“When did you suggest we’d leave?” Daichi cuts off their argument. “How big an entourage?”

“As soon as it was approved,” Kuroo shrugs. “You need out of here for a while. Even if it’s just to clear your head. Some fresh air and fresh company will help you get your priorities straight. You’re a smart cookie, Dai. You’ve just got a lot of problems and puzzles that need thinking on, and everyone needs thinking space sometimes.”

“The villages and towns wouldn’t be able to support a large entourage, so I suggested that your guard be us two. Maybe a few more if they’re concerned, but Kuroo and I should be plenty of protection.”

To get the position of captain of the guard, they had to show immense proficiency in a variety of types of combat. They had to beat Daichi himself, who had been training since he learned to walk, to prove they were worthy of protecting him. If Daichi could easily defeat them, then what’s stopping Daichi from protecting himself? Technically, there was only one position initially - one captain, one personal guard. Again, Daichi is more than proficient at defending himself, so there’s no real reason for too many extra guards.

Bokuto and Kuroo both fought their way to the top, before getting stuck at each other. They’re evenly matched in everything, Bokuto’s brute strength, speed, and determination clashing with Kuroo’s strength, tenacity, and perseverance. Upon realizing they were both extremely competent, Daichi had fought both of them. They’d been close fights, but Kuroo and Bokuto had both won.

So Daichi appointed them both. It was rare for him to lose a fight, and even rarer to lose twice in a row. At the time, it hadn’t felt like a coincidence that they approached him at the same time, fighting for the same position. Daichi would later reflect on the possibility that he hired them both because despite the competition for the same position, they were friendly to each other and often spent the time after matches, when they were panting for breath, to compliment one another’s technique. That sort of companionability is difficult to fake and unlikely to be found among people only searching for power and riches.

Long story short, Bokuto and Kuroo are more than enough of a vanguard to protect him. But his parents would likely disagree. “You emphasized that the smaller villages would hardly be able to support us three?”

Bokuto nods. “There are villages on the border that don’t have inns because they are so small. We’re not looking to invoke drama for the royal family. I also highlighted that three people travel faster and safer than large groups. Besides, the Sawamura family is a well-liked family, especially as royalty. There are few groups with malintent toward your family, and among those groups, there would be few who would be able to identify you on sight. The larger the vanguard, the more identifiable as royalty we become.”

Daichi nods too, trying to will relaxation into his tense shoulders. “How did she respond?”

“You know how susceptible she is to enthusiasm. I let Bo explain it to her, since he was all excited, and she got more hyped about it then we were. She actually was the one to suggest we visit every town in the kingdom. Originally, we had just suggested you visit a couple of the bigger cities, just giving you a couple weeks out of the castle, but she said that would be unfair to the residents in other cities.”

“That does sound like Mom,” he sighs. “Did she talk to Dad in front of you two?”

Kuroo chokes on air and Bokuto laughs. “ _ No _ ,” Kuroo manages, panting for air.

“We high-tailed it out of there as soon as she mentioned she wanted to.”

Privately, Daichi praises whatever deity is willing to listen for the small blessings in life. If his mother had approached his father with this harebrained idea, his father would have accidentally torn it to shreds and ruined Bokuto’s confidence for weeks. His father isn’t an inherently cruel or harsh man, just unendingly rational and there are  _ infinite  _ reasons this is not a rational venture. However, his mother is an unending ray of confidence, sunshine, and optimism, and has always been more driven by her heart. 

If there’s anyone who can talk his father into something irrational, it’s her with her cheery smile and warm brown eyes, voice like honey. She’s always been his weakness, and he loves her all the more for it. 

Daichi only hopes he can find someone to cherish like that, and who cherishes him the same way. His parents aren’t perfect, of course they aren’t, but they love each other as though they were and that’s enough.

His mother had been a princess of a neighboring kingdom when his father was looking for a queen. His mother’s kingdom hadn’t been a political power, nor a particularly strategic venture, but his other option was the horrible queen to the south that is still unendingly despicable (she insists Daichi call her Auntie, which is deplorable for a variety of reasons, not least of which the implication she thinks they should be associated with one another) and his mother convinced him that for all the things he does for the kingdom, for all the choices and sacrifices, his kingdom will not hate him for making one choice with his heart, one sacrifice for the sake of his heart.

And she was right. She’s always been an immensely popular queen, and any initial doubts regarding her capabilities quickly faded. 

She’s probably why, Daichi ponders, the kingdom isn’t opposed to Daichi looking for spouse material outside of the logical choices. An irrational choice got them their beloved queen, why should they doubt Daichi can do the same?

In his ponderings, he misses the door opening and a guard popping his head in. In fact, he is so far zoned out, that it takes Kuroo shaking his shoulder to bring him back to reality. “Man, your parents are ready to see you. Like, now.”

Shaking himself, he slips on his jacket, buttoning it fully while Bokuto and Kuroo fuss with the collar and his hair. He straps on his sword, then strides toward the throne room. Keeping his parents waiting is never a good idea.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi approaches his parents with Bokuto and Kuroo's idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy! :D

His mother grins in delight upon his entrance, waving ecstatically. His father, despite clearly finding the sentiment immensely endearing, elbows her subtly. She rolls her eyes but settles down, but Daichi can still see her wiggling in her seat.

He kneels before his parents, Bokuto and Kuroo a step behind him already doing the same. The throne room is almost empty, the minimum company of knights the only audience. The sun filtering in through the stained glass windows is beautiful, and his mother’s honey-gold dress is stunning in the light. Both his parents stand, before his father gestures for him to do so as well. Kuroo and Bokuto remain kneeling.

“We have considered the proposal made by your personal guard.” His father’s voice is rich and monotone. There is no tell as to what he’s about to say. “We agree to the proposal, with one addendum.”

Daichi is so surprised by the agreement, he almost forgets to inquire about the addendum. “Uh,” he grunts, before shaking his head and saying, “What addendum have you decided on?”

“You will be accompanied by Advisors Ukai and Takeda and their two personal guards.”

Daichi just nods dumbly, astounded. Of all the advisors their family had, Ukai and Takeda are by far his favorites, and  _ his father is letting him go _ . Slowly, a warm grin spreads across his face. He can feel the pride and joy emanating off of his two best friends. 

His mother, never much of one for tradition and unable to control her emotions for one more moment, leaps out of her throne before her husband can seatbelt her, and runs down the dias to wrap Daichi in a big hug. 

“You’re going to have so much fun!” She giggles, and Daichi hugs her back tightly. 

“Thanks, Mom. I heard that this was mostly your idea.”

“Oh, hush,” she laughs, beckoning her husband. “It was your friends and you know it, flatterer. It was your father’s idea to have Ukai and Takeda accompany you. He thought having two peacekeepers on your side might be advantageous should you boys get up to anything... fun.”

Daichi looks up in surprise at his father, who’s awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. Daichi grins brightly, moving to hug his father with the same intensity. 

“Now, Kotarou, Tetsurou, stand up. We appreciate the deferential treatment, but it’s just us here and those guards won’t say anything if we pretend we’re people for a while!” His mother’s hand doesn’t even come close to wrapping around either of the two warriors’ biceps, but she tries to lug them up by the arm anyways. They let her pull them to their feet, smiling fondly at her. “Besides, I  _ know _ you don’t treat Daichi like that when we’re not around.”

Bokuto bursts into loud laughter, clapping the queen on the back, which makes her laugh too. It’s clear now that the tension is gone and probably won’t be back for a while, and that despite Kuroo and Bokuto’s attempts at sneakily getting Daichi some breathing room, his parents are in on the plan and in support.

His father’s arm curls around his shoulders, and Daichi looks over at him. “When I was your age, I “developed an interest in monks” and spent six moons in the furthest temple from the castle I could find.” Daichi has never seen his father do air quotes before. “It didn’t take long for the monks to discover that I was not looking for enlightenment, just space to clear my head. Instead of intensive prayer and fasting, they taught me the ways of sledding down mountainsides and the proper techniques to win snowball fights. 

“Though at the time I didn’t understand the importance of what they had taught me, it was due to their teachings and patience that when your mother came to me, asking me to make a decision with my heart, that I understood what she was telling me. There is a lot to be learned from people different from yourself. You may not be successful in your venture initially, but I have no doubt that your travels will pay dividends down the road.”

His mother, with no concern for either man’s balance, wraps them both in a tight hug, whispering, “You see? I didn’t really have to convince him at all.” But Daichi has a more pressing question.

“Wait, I thought you got the title  _ Enlightened _ from that trip with the monks?”

His father releases the smallest smile. “I did. The monks would attest to my perseverance to apply myself to their teachings and my spiritual and personal growth. The title was actually bestowed by the monks themselves before a complete royal court after my stay.”

“They meant the sledding and snowball fights?”

The smile grows bigger. “Perhaps.”

“And no one questions them because they’re monks.”

“Never doubt a monk,” his father says simply, the smile still growing.

Daichi shakes his head in amazement. “You’re  _ Enlightened _ because you know how to make a snowball. The anarchists are right. The monarchy is corrupt and full of lies.”

His father quirks an eyebrow. His grin is bright. “Do not doubt the artform of snow warfare, Sawamura Daichi. You may live to regret it.” He squeezes him again, before sombering. “Have fun and relax, Daichi. You are a worthy prince and a son any parent would be proud of. You deserve some space to breathe. I hope you find the love and enlightenment you are looking for. You’ll find horses with all the supplies you should need waiting for you at the gates. Ukai and Takeda are also waiting there, so don’t linger too long.”

Daichi grins, giving both parents one last hug, before heading for the door.

“Oh, Daichi!” His father calls. “If you happen to visit Karasuno, visit the monks in the mountains north of the town! They will recognize you. Perhaps you will become Enlightened too.” Then he winks.

Daichi still isn’t sure this is a good idea, but his parents have never intentionally steered him wrong, so it can’t be that bad. 

When he gets to the horses, Takeda and Ukai are indeed waiting, and the saddlebags have snacks. He’s confused by the lack of funding, until he realizes the only thing in his saddlebag is the royal seal.

His parents have given him permission to charge everything to the castle.

He’s so excited.

They decide to stay about four days at every village and town, five days in the cities. It’s not long, but they agree that if any of them want to stay longer, they can negotiate longer this way. Thanks to Bokuto and Kuroo’s survey, word about their traveling has spread to all corners of the kingdom, and the people welcome him with open arms.

He tries to dress down, trying to mingle more with the townspeople, but all his clothes have the family crest embroidered somewhere on them, so he never keeps anonymity too long. The people are always friendly, shoving their daughters forward. 

The unexpected bonus is he’s met more gay people on this trip than he ever has before. Gay women who have no interest in him, and gay men who have more than a little interest in him. It’s validating for his whole party, well perhaps with the exception of Ukai and Takeda’s personal guards.

Takeda comments more than once about how life-changing finding so many people who didn’t experience attraction to the opposite sex would have been for him at Daichi’s age. Ukai, with far less words, says things to the same effect.

Thanks to some very kind guides, they’re able to keep travelling in the winter, but the going is slow. They zigzag across the kingdom, making friends and memories left and right. Daichi cannot remember the last time he had so much fun or laughed so hard.

He’s getting excited too, because Karasuno is getting closer by the week. Soon, he will be able to meet the monks that proved so influential to his father. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga gets new orders from his step-mother, and Hinata shares what he's thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo :D thank you guys all so so so much for the comments and love this fic has gotten - it really means the world to me! yall are truly the bomb-diggity!
> 
> this chapter is a little more angsty than the others but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless!!! :)

Sugawara is pretty sure this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to him, and he had to watch his father marry his gold-digging, murderous step-mother with a dopey smile.

“The whole house. When you’ve finished to my standards, you may have a day off. The other servants will help you when they can, but they will be busy preparing other aspects of the house for the arrival of the crown prince. There are rumors that the prince is uninterested in women, and I have every intention of utilizing that, so the house must be spotless.”

Never has Suga heard her say the words “the servants will help you” before in his life. Which means that when she says spotless, she means it, because she’s not only going to be tormenting him. 

He’s tired already, but he nods, and goes to gather the cleaning supplies. They are right where he left them, more evidence of her seriousness. She really means it. She wants him to get the house completely clear of dirt, dust, and grime.

He’s pretty sure it’s impossible, but he’ll get a day off if he accomplishes it, so he’s willing to try.

Distantly, he wonders whether she plans on dumping Oikawa or Tobio on the prince, and how she plans on stealing the royal family of their entire fortune without raising suspicions. Or perhaps she doesn’t plan to kill anyone, but once her children are married into the royal family, do her best to ensure they stay in the royal family.

He starts in the least travelled corner of the house. The third bedroom that was supposed to be his, and was his for the brief period his father was alive in this house. The dust is inches thick, but he doesn’t waste time moaning about it.

He works quickly and thoroughly, and though it takes him a long time, the room is spotless when he’s done. He then begins work on the hallway. He should specify. On the third floor.

It’s almost a month later before he can even begin to feel prepared for inspection.

The house is big on its own, and when his stepmother said the whole house, she was including the bathhouses, the stables, and the grounds in general. Which would be difficult enough on its own, but that’s not including the fact that his stepmother, Oikawa, Tobio, Suga, and fifteen servants live in the house, along with three horses, a donkey, two pigs, and two dairy cows in the stable. 

Suga is pretty sure he called it when he said that spotless would be impossible.

How the hell is anyone supposed to keep a happy, healthy  _ pig  _ spotless?

In the end, Suga ends up directing the servants. Normally, they work pretty seamlessly together, but with the innumerable laundry lists of tasks that his stepmother handed out, there was no way to keep everyone organized and efficient without someone giving orders. 

And since Suga is technically not a servant, the job falls to him. 

He assigns eight servants to keeping the stable as clean as humanly possible, one for each animal. It eats up a large portion of his available workforce, but the stable is the easiest to get dirty, he rationalizes.

He tells two servants to maintain the grounds. It’s a fairly large property for two people to maintain by themselves, but he figures that they’ll have the use of the donkey for anything heavier than the two of them can manage, and they’ll have a long time to manage this task. It can be a slow process, so long as it gets done.

The remaining five servants are tasked with cleaning every square centimeter of the interior of the house. The servants quarters, the kitchens, bathrooms, everything. He’s lumped himself in with this group, because the house is more accurately described as a mansion and it’s what will be under the heaviest inspection of anywhere. He tells them to deep clean every room and space once a week, the other days only a light clean to keep dust away.

The bathhouses, he determines, as they are used primarily by servants (his stepmother and step brothers have their own washing quarters), will be washed after every individual use by the individual. That will keep the strain of separating the servants even more off, and still keep the facility clean.

Every night, he collapses into bed having only nibbled on a piece of bread. 

But after a month of this, when Suga thinks he’s so tired and stressed he might genuinely collapse and never get up again, his stepmother dictates that it’s time for inspection, as apparently the crown prince is up visiting the monks in the mountains and will be visiting the town within the next couple days.

He doesn’t know how she knows this, as the monks generally don’t gossip, but he’s too tired to care. He stands, waiting with all the servants, as she goes from room to room, inspecting all of them with a cruelly accurate eye. 

And finds remarkably little. One speck of dust here, one forgotten cleaning rag there. 

She comes back to stand before all of them. “Acceptable work. This will be continued until the prince passes through Karasuno. Dismissed. Sugawara, remain.”

Two hands, probably Yamaguchi’s and Hinata’s, brush against his back as they leave. A good-luck wish. 

“Sugawara, the kitchen servants say you organized this.”

He bows his head in acknowledgement. He doesn’t know where this is going.

“As I said, acceptable work. You have earned your day off. When the prince comes to town, do not interfere.”

He wants to ask what he could _possibly_ interfere with, but instead he nods. Obedient. Silent. Relieved. Tired. _So_ _damn tired_.

“You are free to do what you wish until the prince leaves.”

His head flies up against his will. Everything he knows about the prince’s travels comes rocketing to the forefront of his mind - the prince is staying approximately five days everywhere he travels, more if he or his entourage find something entertaining in the town. 

_ He could get a whole week off if he played his cards right. Maybe he could talk the mice into putting on a show for the whole town, play them up as some sort of amazing magical faerie act - _

That’s what she meant by don’t interfere. Oh.

He bows low. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“That is not my name. Address me properly.”

He grits his teeth - she is not worthy of this title, even forming the word on his tongue makes him nauseous - and he prays for forgiveness from his real mom as he says, “Thank you, Mother.”

“Dismissed.”

She stalks away. A door slams behind her, but Suga isn’t paying attention. His stomach roars the song of a hunger long ignored and his limbs feel so heavy.  _ A week off. A whole week.  _ What will he even do? It’s been years since he had that much time to himself. What do regular people do when they have time to themselves? Kageyama practices whatever physical activity has his interest that day, and Oikawa grooms himself. He makes a point to not observe his stepmother, as the sight of her tends to make him ill. The problem is, of course, that he doesn’t have hobbies. 

A gentle touch on his shoulder startles him enough that he blinks. Turns slowly.

“Suga? You okay? You look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up,” Yamaguchi smiles softly, but his eyes hold an undercurrent of immense worry.

“Did she hurt you?” Hinata growls, looking about as threatening as a particularly irritated squirrel. He’s about to say something more, but Suga shaking his head stops him. “What  _ did _ she do?”

He blinks, looking over at Yamaguchi, then Hinata. “She gave me a week off.”

Both boys’ eyes widen and their jaws drop. “A week?!” Hinata squeaks.

“That’s great!” Yamaguchi cheers, mouth broadening to a grin.

He nods dumbly. “I think I’m hallucinating. Someone might need to pinch me soon.”

“Let’s get you something to eat, okay?” Yamaguchi says, wrapping an arm around his back. “Your stomach is growling so loud I can’t hear myself think.”

“I’m hungry too!” Hinata yells, wrapping his arm around Suga’s other side to support him. “The kitchen servants better have something amazing to eat!”

“Hinata, you think all food is amazing,” Yamaguchi says gently, if not a little confused.

Hinata grins brightly. “Well, the kitchen servants make it for us, so doesn’t that make it amazing? They don’t have to make  _ us _ anything, but they do anyway because they care! And that’s pretty awesome to me!”

Suga wonders if a person can die of something being too pure in their presence. If they can, his life is in imminent danger and Hinata’s pure heart and joy for life is going to be the killer. “You’re right, Hinata, as usual,” Suga mumbles, ruffling his fluffy ginger hair. “Make sure you don’t eat the amazing kitchen servants out of house and job, okay?”

Hinata giggles, and Yamaguchi tweaks his side from around Suga’s back, making him giggle even more. “Okay, okay! I’ll try to eat a regular amount! I’m just so hungry! We work so hard all the time and it gives me an appetite!”

Yamaguchi’s stomach gurgles then, causing him to giggle sheepishly. “I guess I can’t blame you for being hungry, Hinata.”

The kitchen servants welcome them gladly, especially Suga, since according to them, “he made sure they kept their jobs through this prince nonsense”. Suga thanks them for their kindness, but refuses to take any of the credit as he chows down. After all, he only made up one sixteenth of the workforce  _ and _ he gets the next week off, with any luck.

It’s after they’ve eaten and bathed and they’re lounging in the servants’ quarters that Hinata’s nose scrunches and his brow furrows and all the signs that he’s thinking really hard appear on his features. Suga waits until the painful-looking expression peaks, then asks, “What’s on your mind, Sho?”

When he meets Suga’s gaze, his eyes are blazing. “I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t understand.”

Suga feels like he knows where this is going, but he shakes his head as though he doesn’t. “You don’t understand what?”

“Why you stay.” His tone is firm, but his voice wobbles. “I don’t understand. I know you want your money. I understand that. I would too. But I don’t understand why you’ve chosen money over happiness. No one should work like a slave, without pay and without rest. You’re so good, Suga. All the time. You’re happy and gracious and you never complain. You don’t rebel, you don’t talk back, you just take it. Doesn’t it kill you inside? I don’t even see half of it, and it  _ kills _ me. I’ve been talking to Kageyama, trying to convince him to talk to his mom, and even he thinks the way you’re treated is horrible and he doesn’t know how to milk a cow!” He takes a deep breath, tears welling in his eyes. Suga feels like someone is choking him, clenching his throat so tight that air cannot escape. “You don’t eat enough, Sugawara Koushi!” Hinata yells, loud enough the other lingering servants turn to look, with his whole body trembling with emotion. “You don’t eat enough, and you don’t sleep enough, and you look like you’re dying all the time! You deserve to be happy! You could build a fortune twice the size of hers! I… I just don’t understand why you don’t want to be happy.”

Sugawara Koushi, instead of answering the question, wraps Hinata in his arms and lets him cry there. He knows partially it’s because he’s tired, partially because he’s stressed, and partially because for some unknown, undeterminable reason, Hinata’s big heart has spread to encompass sharp, pessimistic, angry Sugawara Koushi, but when he cries, Suga’s heart aches as though he’s crying too. 

Yamaguchi runs to fetch water.

Sugawara feels empty. “I don’t know anymore,” he whispers into Hinata’s hair. “I don’t know why I stay. It… Sometimes it feels like all I have left. She’s taken everything else from me, and I feel like I have to get something intangible and imaginary back to feel whole again.”

Hinata turns his head up to look at him. His eyes shimmer in the dim light, the brownish-hazel weirdly golden. “You are not alone, Sugawara. If you let this go, I will not leave you. You will have something left. I promise.”

Suga feels tears prick in his eyes as he squeezes Hinata tight. His throat has shrunk and no longer wants to make words. “Thanks,” he says, even though he knows the words are choked and he knows that Hinata will not be satisfied with them, because he can’t give up. Not when he’s so close.

There’s only a few months left, after all. He can make it. He can get his money and then get out, and never come back. He can do it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga meets Daichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i KNOW i already posted one chapter today but i LOVE how this chapter turned out and i got excited SUE ME

The next morning, the mice come to wake him. It takes them simultaneously landing on his face after jumping from the window sill to rouse him, but rouse he does. He’ll go and be outside and free today, then sleep all day tomorrow. That’s what he’ll do. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya once again admonish him for not latching the window, but when they hear that he plans to sleep all day tomorrow, they cheer instead. “HELL YEAH SUGA’S GONNA NAP!” Nishinoya cries loud enough to wake the dead, much to Suga’s still-mostly-asleep distress. 

“What happened? You collapse or something?” Tanaka asks suspiciously.

Suga shakes his head. The look on Hinata’s scared face as he struggled to understand Suga’s motivations flashes in his mind, then the look later, as Hinata was falling asleep, whispering about how he worried sometimes when Suga smiled and walked away, that he’d fade away and never come back.

“No, I just… a friend and I had a heart-to-heart.”

“Good,” Tanaka says gruffly, squeezing what he can reach of Suga as a sort of hug. “Someone managed to tunnel through your thick-ass skull.”

Nishinoya sniggers. “Has someone tried tunneling through your thick ass yet?”

“It is  _ too _ early in the morning for that flavor of joke,” Suga deadpans. “And if you must know,  _ no _ , and even if someone had, you two nincompoops would be the last two I would voluntarily tell.”

“What makes you think he was asking you?” Tanaka preens, flexing his mouse muscles in a way Suga assumes is perceived by mice to be attractive. “Some of us have a little more flavor in our lives.”

“Tanaka, if you weren’t such a virgin, I might believe you,” Suga yawns, stretching.

In true dramatic fashion, Tanaka mimes being burned to death, while Nishinoya screams his excitement.

All in all, it’s a pretty typical morning as Suga begins his first day off, walking to town, peacefully chatting with the two rodents on his shoulders. He plans on spending all his meager spare coin savings this week on the most delicious food he can find.

Even though he’s not doing as Hinata said, he  _ did _ hear him. 

_ You don’t eat enough, Sugawara Koushi! _

Granted, the dead heard him yell that, so it’s really no surprise.

Regardless, he plans to change that. Make a point of eating more. If only to keep Hinata from crying over him again. That was infinitely more painful than he was prepared to deal with ever. So, to keep himself from hating every fiber of his being for making Hinata look and sound like that, he decides to change. 

He can do better. He  _ will _ do better.

The morning is bright and peaceful, decidedly warmer than typical early spring. It’s the kind of warmth that promises thunderstorms and delightfully foggy days to come, and the air is full of tension. His body is aching and tired and he’s starving, but he can’t help the spring in his step. Whatever mouse responsibility that his two friends on his shoulders had to attend to last time doesn’t seem to be a problem this time, and they are chattering away cheerfully as he all but skips to the town. He’s going to hang out at Yachi’s until he meets this elusive Azumane, he’s decided. He still hasn’t actually met the guy, and apparently he’s a looker.

He’s so distracted by the exuberant company of the mice on his shoulders and how to track down Azumane, that he completely misses the upturned root (the same root that’s been there for years, he really has no excuse to still be tripping over it) and mentally prepares himself to faceplant headlong into the dirt. He’s just made peace with this conclusion when strong arms catch him, keeping him from falling as if it was easy.

Suga, fully discombobulated, looks up into the face of arguably one of the most attractive people he’s ever met. 

Strong cheekbones with an even stronger jawline support an awkward, nervous grin and the darkest, warmest brown eyes that glitter with amusement and concern. Strong arms and shoulders and broad chest and - Suga’s gobsmacked examination of this complete stranger halts at the sight of the crest on his chest.

The  _ royal _ crest.

The prince of Haikyu just saved him from faceplanting into the dirt. Scrambling to his feet and bowing deeply, apologies dribbling from his lips, Suga realizes he has  _ no  _ idea where Tanaka and Nishinoya went.

Great, his two talking mouse friends abandon him before the long-awaited crown heir to the kingdom. Perfect.

The heir he’s absolutely not to talk to or by any means interact with.

Splendid.

That very same crown prince who’s talking to him and he’s not listening to at all. 

Fantastic.

“- I hope I didn’t hurt you. It just looked like you were about to take a nasty fall. Please, stop bowing and looking at me like that. I’m hoping to remain anonymous for a little while longer. And… you’re still looking at me like that. Are you alright? Did you hit your head? Are you dizzy?”

Suga wants to say yes, because he is dizzy, because  _ what the everloving hell did I do to deserve this hot mess _ , but instead he swallows, and manages a, “I’m alright, sorry your majes-”

And before he knows what’s happening, Prince Sawamura’s hand is over his mouth.

Sugawara blinks. Once, twice. Then he licks the crown prince of Haikyu’s hand.

Prince Sawamura pulls back in surprise, a hint of shock on his features.

“Do  _ not _ punish people for things you expect them to do,” Suga says hotly, crossing his arms. “You don’t get to come into other peoples’ towns and have your way. I don’t care if you’re the prince - you’re no older than I am. And don’t just  _ grab  _ people’s faces. It’s… It’s  _ rude _ .”

His heart hammering in his chest, Sugawara turns his back on the prince, which is yet another count of treason to add to the list, if anyone were interested in keeping count, and walks away looking for Tanaka and Nishinoya. On the bright side, the prince isn’t going to want anything more to do with him now.

Daichi stands, frozen and blinking, at the space the silver-haired stranger occupied then left. His palm is still wet. His cheeks are stinging as though he was slapped, though he’d swear the stranger hadn’t raised a hand against him.

“Ohoho?” Bokuto’s chin is perched on his left shoulder.

“Ohohoho?” Kuroo’s is on his right.

“That’s the one, isn’t it?” Bokuto chuckles, dark and deep. “Daichi has a crush. His first crush of the entire trip.”

Kuroo laughs his hyena laugh. “I’ve never seen Daichi look like this. He’s like a kicked puppy.” Daichi rolls his shoulders, dislodging them both.

“Shut up,” he mumbles, cheeks growing hot. “He can’t be it, because he hates me.”

Bokuto snorts so loud, a bird nearby startles. “Hates?  _ Hates _ you? Hates  _ you _ ? Oh, Daichi, oh sweet baby boy, that guy does  _ not _ hate you. Well, maybe he hates how attracted to you he is, but he does  _ not _ hate you. Gods, he was practically drooling. I don’t think he even noticed we were here.”

“You know what that means, Bo,” Kuroo grins and the word  _ no _ is already forming on Daichi’s tongue, but it’s too late.

“It means we need to do some reconnaissance,” Bokuto grins evilly. “Ushijima, Aone, watch over Daichi for us! We’ll be back in a bit!”

Suga’s walking back along the trail, quietly calling for Nishinoya or Tanaka, cheeks flaming. He  _ licked _ the crown prince of Haikyu. What is he, stupid? He can’t run away from his stepmother but he can’t stay either, so his subconscious’ grand solution is to commit what probably qualifies as assault against the royal family, so he can hang in the town square? Yeah, that’s a perfect idea. Genius.

Maybe he really is stupid.

It wasn’t something he thought out. It just… was instinct. His mother used to do that all the time, and that was always his response. She’d laugh and tell Suga that that is why doing that is a terrible habit, one she got from her own mother, and how it’d really be best if Suga stopped that habit. Both covering people’s mouths with his hands  _ and _ licking people when they did that to him. Not that his mother didn’t want him to defend himself, but licking people is a little weird.

He  _ licked _ the hand of the  _ crown prince to Haikyu. _

The prince was  _ hot _ too. Suga can’t remember the last time he saw someone and instantly found them attractive. Not that he should be interacting with the prince anymore than is unavoidable, but seriously? Did he really have to ruin any slim, microscopic, practically non-existent chance he had with the crown prince of Haikyu by  _ licking him _ ? What the hell was he thinking?

"Hey! Excuse me! Silver hair dude!"

Oh no. This is where he gets beheaded. He turns slowly, willing to accept the fate he provoked, and is surprised to see two guys about his age running toward him. He doesn't recognize them, but thinks they might have been behind Prince Sawamura. Neither are obviously armed, but their biceps are the size of his thighs, so he doesn't underestimate them. "Yes?" He asks nervously, suspicious because they don't _ look _ like they're about to pry his skull from his spine like a grape off a vine, but he really can't be too sure. If they're good enough to guard the prince, maybe they're crazy. Surely, no one is so perfect to be simultaneously at top physical condition, an impeccable fighter,  _ and _ mentally stable.

The shorter of the two, tall, lanky and with hair that appears to have a mind of its own, towers over Suga as he says, “Sorry about that, Daichi can be a bit of a brute sometimes. He means well though. Are you alright?”

Suga blinks. That’s… not what he had been expecting. “Me?”

The taller of the two laughs. It’s a loud, booming sound - the kind of laugh that makes you want to laugh too. “Who else has silver hair in this conversation?”

The first speaker takes a deep sigh. “Bokuto, you do. You literally have silver hair.”

The taller, Bokuto, who definitely does have silver hair that spikes toward the heavens, deflates dramatically, shoulders falling forward. “Dammit, I forgot.”

Suga can’t help but chuckle at the strangeness of this conversation. Did he hallucinate licking the prince’s hand? Is he going insane? It wouldn’t surprise him, but he would have thought someone around him would have mentioned it at some point. “Well, if you were talking to me, I’m alright. Really, it should be me apologizing to Prince Sawamura. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. If I was in his position, I wouldn’t want people shouting my presence to the rooftops either.” As he says the words, he finds himself believing them. “I don’t know what got into me, really. I mean, licking the prince’s hand? Really?” He feels his will to live shrink.

He’s confirmed it. He really is going insane.  _ He brought up his own count of treason to the people who would be doing the beheading _ . Either he’s insane, or a new level of stupid that man has not yet reached.

The shorter man, who still hasn’t introduced himself, howls like a hyena, the sound ugly yet endearing. “You  _ licked  _ Daichi?! Holy shit!” When Suga looks over at Bokuto, he’s cackling too. “Wow,  _ no wonder  _ he looked so confused! Hot damn, you’re funny.” He wipes tears from his eyes, clutching his stomach. When he’s mostly recovered, he holds out his hand. “I’m Sir Kuroo Tetsuro, but normal people call me Kuroo.”

Bokuto, not to be outdone, sticks out his own hand and says, “Sir Bokuto Koutarou. Call me Bo, or Bokuto. I’m not picky.”

“We’re Daichi’s personal guards,” Kuroo says in the same tone as someone would say they’re a farmer, or a servant. “And you are?”

Once again, Suga finds himself lost for words for a moment. These two, some of the highest ranked not-royalty in the land, want to know his name? “Sugawara Koushi,” he manages, shaking both of their hands. “I’m… unemployed? It’s complicated.”

“Wait, no way!” Bokuto grins, eyes bright and piercing. “You’re not Lady Sugawara’s son, by any chance, are you?”

Sugawara nods dumbly, having completely forgotten about that. His mother was a knight, and a good one. If these two were in Prince Sawamura’s personal employ, they would have fought and beaten her to get there, or at least fought people who knew her. He wishes he could boast about being like her.

“We heard about her passing, Sugawara. We both mourned. She was an amazing warrior and an even better woman.” Bokuto’s face sombers, something Suga’s gathering it rarely really does. “I only got the opportunity to duel with her once, and she kicked my ass into next week,” he smiles at the memory. “I learned so much from her.”

It stings a little, deep in the darkest corner of his heart, that Bokuto knows this side of his mother, got to learn from her in this way, when he didn’t. She never wanted Suga to be violent, be aggressive, and had refused to teach him anything about the art of sword fighting until he was older and could better understand the consequences of war. “All the while, she was talking about her son, who she was so proud of. I thought she was boasting, showing off how much better than me she was that she could have a regular conversation whilst wrecking my shit. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized she was trying to teach me to have a reason to fight. To win. She was so proud of you, that even when she fought, you were on her mind, in her heart, your name on her tongue.”

And just like that, the sting vanishes, replaced by a seeping ache that spreads from the tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes. The ache of his mom being torn from his life way before he was ready to lose her.

“I never got to duel her,” Kuroo says, “but I met her a couple times. She’s a hero to people like us. I hope you’re proud of her.”

Suga looks up at that. “Always.”

They nod, all silent for a moment in his mother’s honor.

But, once the moment passes, and Suga processes everything that has been said a little more, some of the gears that had been stagnant since the instant his tongue touched Prince Sawamura’s palm start turning in his mind once again.

“Wait, sorry, you’re  _ the _ Bokuto Koutarou? Like the celebrity?”

Bokuto switches from somber to preening so fast that it makes Suga a little dizzy. “Maybe?” He grins, nudging Kuroo. “Ya hear that?  _ Celebrity _ .  _ The _ Bokuto Koutarou.”

“I’ve… well, you see, um… It’s just… I’ve got this friend, who… If you’d be willing to meet him, he’d… He’d really like to meet you.” Now that he’s realized he’s literally talking to his friend’s celebrity crush, he’s made the realization that Akaashi would quite seriously  _ strangle _ him if he found out. It’s not often one of the most famous warriors in the kingdom visits a tiny mountain town.

“I’m always willing to meet a fan,” Bokuto grins, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. “Lead the way, Sugawara.”

“Oh, and you guys can call me Suga, if you want.” Suga begins to lead them back toward town, as Kuroo seems content to also meet Akaashi, but it only takes a couple steps before he realizes who  _ else _ he’s heading for. “Prince Sawamura… isn’t  _ mad _ at me, right? He knows I was just overwhelmed, right?”

Kuroo snorts. “No, he’s not mad at you. Honestly, he was more worried you were gonna turn the whole town against him. He feels really bad about scaring you like that. He spends a lot of time worrying about people’s perceptions of him.”

“Phew,” Suga sighs. “Well, you can tell him not to worry. I definitely overreacted. Like I said, I really don’t know what came over me. I’m not… normally like that, I promise.”

Bokuto laughs, slapping him on the back. “Daichi’s used to people acting a little strange around him. At least you don’t have a stick up your ass like some people.”

“He’s not kidding. There was this one guy who…”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi meets Bokuto, Kuroo meets Kenma, Suga finally takes a nap, and Daichi gets nada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I've been working on the next work in this series and I'm SO excited I have so many ideas
> 
> Anywho enjoy this next chapter!!!!!!

Daichi watches in dejected misery as Bokuto, Kuroo and the hottest man he’s ever seen walk past, chatting happily as they stroll toward what appears to be a business.

“I thought they were going to help,” he whispers, a little hurt that his two best friends would betray him like that.

“They are,” Aone rumbles, which is remarkable if for no other reason than Daichi isn’t sure he’s ever heard the mountain of a man speak. “Were you not listening? They were talking about you.”

His eyes widen - no, he hadn’t been listening. He’d been so busy wallowing in betrayal and misery that he hadn’t thought to listen in. “They were?”

Aone grunts. “Of course they were. They are your friends. They care for you. Do you think I would betray Advisor Takeda?”

Daichi considers the question. “I don’t think so, because Takeda would scold you for doing it, and Takeda’s lectures are the most painful.”

Aone grunts again, which Daichi suspects is laughter. He doesn’t say anything more, but he doesn’t need to. 

Suga gestures for Kuroo and Bokuto to stay outside while he goes in, partially because Yachi’s place isn’t exactly large, and Kuroo and Bokuto are giants, and partially because he thinks it’ll be funnier if Akaashi doesn’t have any time to prepare.

“Akaashi?” He calls - Yachi’s working the front desk, but Akaashi is usually working this time in the morning. 

“He’s in the back,” Yachi says cheerily, proudly displaying some of her newest designs. “You need something?”

“Oh, I just met someone who wants to meet him,” Suga grins. It’s rare that he’s able to do anything for his friends, especially something of this magnitude. “Is it alright if I steal him for a bit?”

Yachi gestures for him to go ahead. “We’re not busy in the mornings anyways. If you could ask Azumane to come out here for a moment, I’d consider us even.” Her words are muffled when she ducks beneath the counter, rummaging around for something. 

Suga gives her a thumbs up, wandering back. Akaashi looks up in surprise at him, but unquestioningly follows his beckoning. Well, sort of unquestioningly. He waits until after Suga’s talked to Azumane, to start asking questions.

“What’s going on? Why are you smiling? Where are we going? Why are you so pleased with yourself? Did you catch a cold or something? Are you broken? Have you lost your marbles? Is this a mad smile? Like you’re smiling because you’re so pissed that if you stop, you might explode? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

So, really, not very unquestioningly at all.

Suga puts a finger to his lips, as he dramatically opens the door.

It takes all of three seconds for Akaashi Keiji to process what’s happening, and Suga gets the pleasure of watching every realization fly across his features.

“Sir Bokuto Koutarou.” With surprising grace, he bows his head to him. “Sir Kuroo Tetsurou.” He bows to Kuroo too.

Then he turns on Suga. “ _ You could have warned me _ ,” he hisses. “And since  _ when _ are you friends with the two most powerful warriors in the kingdom?”

Suga shrugs innocently, gesturing to them. The delighted grin hasn’t left his features. “They instigated. They’re pretty nice, when they’re not being ignored.”

Akaashi spins, mortified, and Bokuto cackles. “So you’re Akaashi,” Bokuto grins, eyes glimmering. “Suga was telling us all about you.”

Akaashi, the unshakable, immovable, unembarrassable, stoic man he is, flushes pink. “Oh? He’d better have been saying good things.”

Bokuto laughs again, stepping a little closer. “Only that you’re a good friend and how excited you’d be to meet me.”

He blinks once, twice. “Why should I be excited to meet you?”

Suga feels his heart stop. Bokuto is Akaashi’s celebrity crush, he  _ knows _ that. So why is Akaashi being rude?

Even Kuroo looks uncertain about the question.

Suga thinks he might throw up.

“Well, who wouldn’t be?” Bokuto’s grin takes a turn for the sharp. “After all, I am one of the most powerful warriors in the kingdom.” He doesn’t look the slightest bit offended. “Is that not impressive, Akaashi?”

Akaashi’s cheeks flush pink again. Then he  _ stutters _ . “I… I guess the power of your attacks is remarkable. And the stamina you possess for battle understated.”

Suga thinks he might faint. What the hell is happening?

Is this what Akaashi thinks  _ flirting _ is?

Bokuto cackles, triumph in his eyes. “Damn right it is! You’ve got a keen eye, ‘Kaashi. Do you fight?”

Suga is  _ very _ interested in seeing where this conversation is headed, but two sets of tiny claws dig into his calves and he can’t help but startle as two very familiar mice scramble up onto his shoulders. 

“Tanaka and Nishinoya, you little rat  _ bastards _ ,” he hisses, before he realizes Kuroo is watching him curse out, for all intents and purposes, ordinary, boring, simpleton mice. Suga steps away down the road, but Kuroo follows him, an amused and confused smirk on his face.

He walks into the cordwainer, and Kuroo follows him there too. He just needs a minute of privacy, then he’ll explain to Kuroo that these mice  _ deserve _ to be yelled at.

However, in his attempts to escape the inevitable questioning, he unwittingly gets the pleasure of witnessing the most interesting staredown he’s  _ ever _ seen, as Kuroo makes eye contact with Kenma, who instead of dismissively looking away like he normally does (he doesn’t mean it that way, Suga’s learned, it’s just sort of how he works), holds Kuroo’s stare like his life depends on it.

And considering Suga isn’t sure if Kenma ever blinks, it’s a helluva staredown.

It’s Kuroo who blinks first. “Another friend of yours, Suga?” He seems flustered. Suga casually picks Noya and Tanaka up by their tails to ensure they don’t run away, then smiles innocently at Kuroo.

“Yeah, this is Kenma. He’s a good friend of mine.” In truth, he and Suga don’t talk all that much (Kenma doesn’t talk and Suga’s not exactly long on free time), but they’re friends and if it’ll make Kuroo a little uncomfortable, Suga gets the feeling that Kenma won’t mind.

Kenma doesn’t take an interest in anyone, and he takes an interest in Kuroo. “Suga, where did you find someone interesting?”

Suga grins. “You mean _ I _ am not interesting?  _ Me _ ?” 

Kenma’s unblinking gaze flicks to him for a moment. “Not really.”

Suga makes an offended gasp into a whole body movement, practically swooning, even though he sort of already knew that. Kenma doesn’t find a lot of people interesting, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them, Suga’s learned. He just doesn’t work as hard to get to know them. If they put forth effort, though, he will too. 

“What makes me interesting?” Kuroo purrs, clearly intrigued.

“Your choice in hairstyle for starters,” Kenma says without pause, and Kuroo gapes as he continues, “but also your lack of confidence, despite your athletic ability and intelligence. The way your hands keep scrunching behind your back is a tell of anxiety. You feel comfortable with Suga, probably due to the fact he looks harmless, but you don’t really know him, or you would have argued that Suga’s interesting, which he is. I lied.”

Suga starts in surprise. He expected to listen to Kenma tear Kuroo’s body language to shreds - that’s pretty standard for a Kenma introduction - but hearing him say Suga is interesting was  _ not _ something he anticipated. How could he possibly be interesting?

“Well, those are…  _ incredible  _ observations,” Kuroo says with an intrigued glimmer in his eyes, “but why do those make me interesting? Everyone has fears and worries.”

Kenma shoots Suga a look. “You’re interesting because of your weaknesses and strengths. Everyone can be categorized by their strengths and weaknesses. People with more weaknesses are less interesting, because they will always fall to weakness and cower from strength. People with more strengths than weaknesses usually fall prey to more serious weaknesses, as few as they are, and can be unstable. People with an even balance of both are normal.”

Suga does not know where he falls on that spectrum. He imagines it might be better for his self-esteem if he never finds out.

“And which am I?”

Kenma gives the knight a tiny smile. “I don’t know yet.”

Suga almost chokes. Did Kenma just  _ flirt _ ? To the outside eye, that might not look like flirting. But Kenma doesn’t really smile very much, and he certainly doesn’t imply he’d like to get to know people better while smiling. Unless Suga is  _ completely _ misreading this situation, Kenma is  _ flirting _ . Which means the world is probably ending.

“I’m gonna go check that Bokuto and Akaashi are still alive. See you later, Kuroo! Kenma!” He calls, running out of there. He doesn’t know what sort of sorcerer one has to be to coax Kenma into flirting willingly, but he isn’t about to find out. Nope. He has places to go, people to see.

First, he walks into an alleyway where no one and nothing can see him, pulling Tanaka and Nishinoya up to eye-level. “Where the  _ hell _ did you two run off to? I was really worried!”

Though the two mice look a little irritated to be having this conversation upside down, Nishinoya’s ears perk up a little, softening the expression. “We had to go. There was… a mouse emergency,” he explains, his little mouse hands gesturing. “We came back as soon as we could.”

“I thought I crushed you when I fell!”

Tanaka snorts, his annoyance falling away too. “Nope. We just heard the mouse signal and we had to leave. There was no time for goodbyes, and besides, you had a prince on your hands! How did that go?”

Suga moans, slumping against the building wall. “I licked his hand and yelled at him.”

Nishinoya bursts out laughing immediately, and Tanaka isn’t far behind. “Well, at least that nasty step bitch doesn’t have to worry about you seducing him away from Oikawa or Kageyama.”

“I… I don’t know what came over me! It was so stupid! And he was really hot, too.”

Tanaka laughs even harder. “I wish we hadn’t missed that, but I suppose talking mice might have been a bit much for the prince. Getting licked and talked to by forest animals might be a bit overwhelming for someone of his rank.”

“Does he know your name?” Nishinoya asks. “Didn’t you say the Wretch told you to not get involved with the prince at all?”

Suga pales. “I forgot about that… Prince Sawamura doesn’t know my name, but his two knights do.”

“Tell them not to tell the prince, then.” Tanaka crosses his mouse arms, shrugging. “If the prince doesn’t know your name, there’s no proof the two of you have ever met.”

“But what if he sees me at the mansion? Or commands one of his knights to tell? They’re not going to disobey the crown prince of Haikyuu on my account? What if he asks after me? What if he decides he wants to behead me?”

“Sugawara, if he wants to behead you, you’re going to have bigger problems on your hands than whether or not your step trash finds out.” Nishinoya’s eyes are glittering. “You need to calm down. Just ask the knights. Say it’s a matter of safety. If they tell him, you’ve done all you can. If they don’t, you’ll be safe. Borrowing trouble is a waste of energy. I feel like I’m lecturing my boyfriend. I have to tell him this stuff all the time.”

Suga looks up in surprise. “You have a boyfriend?”

Nishinoya grins proudly. “Yep! His name is-” and Tanaka, in a rapid convulsion of muscle and force, swings toward Nishinoya and slugs him.

“Noya!” He barks.

Suga has never heard him take that tone with anyone, ever. 

“Shit!” Nishinoya yips, rubbing his cheek. “Sorry, Tanaka… Thanks.”

“Wait, why can’t I know his name?” Suga is confused more than hurt, but he gets more hurt the longer the two rodents exchange looks, as if unsure how to bullshit their way out of this situation. 

It’s Nishinoya who finally answers. “It’s not that you can’t know his name. We could tell you, and everything might be completely fine, and nothing might change. It’s just that for your safety, it’s probably better if you didn’t, okay? At least for a little while longer. You know we wouldn’t keep stuff from you unless we thought it was important you didn’t know.”

The hurt mostly subsides, because he  _ does _ trust these two little mice that have done so much for him. He trusts their judgement, their good will. He believes them when they say it’s important. “Okay,” he nods. “Fair enough.”

Nishinoya grins, swinging up onto Suga’s hand so he can free his tail. Then he runs up Suga’s arm to his neck, giving him a hug. “Thanks for being chill about it, Suga.” Tanaka does the same a moment later.

“You guys are pretty chill with a lot of my bullshit,” Suga says softly. “I figured, just this once, I can be chill too.”

Tanaka giggles. “That’s the spirit. Now, we’ve got to go. You probably should go talk to your new knight friends, okay? Remember to breathe. No matter what goes wrong, we’ll be here to help you out.”

Suga’s shoulders drop as some of the tension from the morning leaks out of them. “Okay.”

The mice jump down and run off, waving to him as they go. He waves back, trying to renew the pep in his step. Like they said, this isn’t an unmitigated disaster yet. Maybe, everything will be okay.

When he wanders back to Akaashi and Bokuto, they are still talking. Well, Bokuto is talking and Akaashi is listening. Well, Bokuto is shouting and waving his arms about wildly and jumping all over the place and Akaashi is doing his best to look bored and like he’s not enthralled with Bokuto.

It’s not working, but Suga’s willing to let him believe it is. “I’ve abandoned Kuroo in Kenma’s clutches,” he says, mostly to Akaashi.

“Heartless of you,” Akaashi murmurs back. Bokuto doesn’t seem to have noticed Suga’s arrival yet.

“Hey, Sir Bokuto?” Suga interrupts. He suspects it’s the “sir” more than the “Bokuto” that gets Bokuto’s attention, but the guy stops talking immediately, turning to look at him. “I… I’ve got a bit of a favor to ask you? If… if that’s alright?”

Bokuto cocks his head to the side, like an owl with wide golden eyes. An invitation to keep speaking.

“I’m… I’m not sure if you and Kuroo are allowed to do this, or what the rules are, but could… could you guys not tell Prince Sawamura my name? It’s… it’s complicated, but…”

Bokuto blinks. “Sure.”

Something scared and tense inside Suga resolves. “Thanks, I wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility since he’s the crown prince and everything.”

The knight grins, putting a hand on Suga’s shoulder. “For most royalty, that’d probably be the case. While Kuroo and I are both sworn to honesty and loyalty through all things, we’re also Daichi’s best friends. He might not like it sometimes, but it’s very rarely that he commands us to do anything we weren’t already going to do. He trusts that we’re not gonna screw him over and that we want the best for him, so he generally takes our word for it.”

“Okay,” Suga smiles. “Thanks.”

Bokuto laughs. “I’ll let Kuroo know when he returns from… where did you say? Kenma’s clutches?”

“If he returns,” Akaashi murmurs darkly, and Suga giggles. 

“Kenma’s a friend of ours,” he explains to Bokuto, who is still clearly waiting on an explanation. “He’s a good guy, but he doesn’t really like people. They weird him out, but for some reason, he seems to like Kuroo.”

“Which means he’s either going to flirt with him or destroy him. Depends on the day.”

“And his mood.”

“And Kuroo’s zodiac.”

“And whether or not he’s eaten today.”

“And the weather.”

Bokuto bursts into hysterical laughter. “I’d like to see that. Is this Kenma a warrior?”

Suga and Akaashi both snort. “Nope,” Suga says with a grin. “He doesn’t like to get sweaty. And thinks blood is gross. And again, he really doesn’t like people.”

Which only makes Bokuto laugh harder. “Then that will be  _ really _ funny.”

The conversation lulls for a moment, a comfortable quiet settling over them, when Suga realizes that the prince’s two personal guards are not guarding anything, and the crown prince is nowhere in sight.

“Bokuto, where  _ is _ Prince Sawamura?”

Bokuto gestures over his shoulder. “Somewhere over there. We left him with some other competent people. He’s fine. Probably feeling a little snuffed out, but that’s good for him. He’d be touched you were worried ‘bout him though.”

They talk a little while longer, and Kuroo eventually rejoins them, looking like the cat who’s caught and devoured the little yellow canary, but as the sun rises higher in the sky, Suga breaks off from the group, wandering back toward the mansion.

He doesn’t take the main road, though. Instead he takes the winding, tangled deer paths, immersing himself in the trees and the wildlife. It smells fresh and bright and clean, and the moss and leaves are bright where the sunlight filters through the canopy. Dew drips off limbs high above him and rabbits and birds chirp and play in the underbrush. Though the path is narrow and uneven, it never wavers in its clarity, and the unpredictability of the trail brings a sense of peace to his heart.

He allows his thoughts to wander, his mind to venture, his heart to slow. He doesn’t often spend his time by centering himself in the forest - it always seems like a better idea to eat good food or listen to the travelling minstrel who won’t still be in town by the time his next day off comes. But the time he spends in the forest is never wasted, and now that he has almost a week to himself, possibly more if Prince Sawamura finds someone that catches his eye, he feels justified in wandering.

When he wanders into a clearing, lit by sunlight rimmed by comfy shade, he smiles softly. The continuation of the trail is visible on the other side, but it seems like it would be a terrible mistake to not first enjoy the clearing for what it is. There’s wild strawberries growing on the far side, so Suga plops down in the shade next to the berry bushes, snacking on the newly ripened fruit. 

It’s not quiet, not really, but it’s the natural ambience that makes it feel quiet. Suga eats his fill of the sweet berries, before stretching out on the grass. It’s rare for him to get to cloud gaze and relax. Maybe he’ll take a nap. As the sun moves across the sky, so does the shade, and it’s not long before he’s more in the sun than not. 

The sun is warm and soothing on his skin, and Suga’s eyes droop. His breathing evens out, and he drifts off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Suga meet again, and Yamaguchi and Hinata run into something of a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAAH IM SORRY IM LATE I FORGOT TO POST

He awakens to a crunch in the forest.

He jolts awake, disgruntled and bleary-eyed, watching Prince Sawamura stumble into the clearing, having tripped over a fallen branch. Suga takes a deep breath of relief - if he had encountered bandits, miscreants, or some other manner of unpleasant person, he would have been unarmed. “Prince Sawamura,” he says, bowing deeply. “I wanted to apologize for this morning. I should  _ never _ have said those things to you or licked you. That was really unpleasant of me, and I swear I’m not usually like that. Gods know I’ll never do it again.”

To his surprise, Prince Sawamura laughs out loud. “Then consider it forgiven and forgotten,” and when Suga dares peek up from his bow, Prince Sawamura is grinning. A bright, warm smile that feels safe. “Did I wake you?” He gestures to his hair, and Suga scrambles to remove the stick (when did  _ that _ get there) from his silvery locks. Did he  _ have _ to be a human disaster in front of him? Maybe it was a curse. Maybe someone finally got irritated enough at his antics to curse him.

He figures it’s best not to lie to the crown prince of Haikyu, especially considering their more than rocky beginnings. “Yes, but that’s okay. If I nap too long, I can’t go to bed on time. I’ve got to be up really early for work and it always ends badly if I don’t sleep enough and -” He blushes bright red as he realizes he was rambling. “Sorry… Would you like some wild strawberries? I had some earlier and they’re really good. Perfectly ripe. Definitely not poisonous.” 

_ What was he  _ saying _? _

Prince Sawamura just laughs again. “Sure. They look delicious. It’s been a while since I’ve picked berries for myself.” He, without hesitation, kneels to pick the berries from the bush. 

Suga’s cheeks flare again as he realizes he’s treating the  _ crown prince of Haikyu _ like a damned servant. “I’m sorry!” He splutters again, rushing to his side. “I can pick those for you, Your Highness-”

“Daichi’s fine,” Prince Sawamura says easily. If there’s a hint of nervousness in his eyes, it’s hidden well enough that Suga can’t find it whilst utterly panicking. “Or Sawamura, if Daichi’s too informal. We are strangers, after all.” He shrugs and keeps plucking berries from the bush. “I came on this trip to get away from royalty for a while. To clear my head. Seems silly to insist upon titles when the whole point was to do less insisting on titles.”

Suga almost opens his mouth to introduce himself in turn, but instead shakes his head. “I imagine being royalty is pretty stressful.” If Daichi notices his failure to say his name, he doesn’t say anything.

Daichi shrugs. “Not in the ways you’d think. For me, it’s more the constant stream of expectations. Not only is there an ungodly amount of expectations and people telling you how you should live, but a lot of them directly contradict. Sorting out who to listen to, who needs kept happy, who can shove it, who might react violently, those sorts of things… It can get exhausting.” He smiles ruefully, leaning back to pop a strawberry in his mouth. “I’m lucky enough to have understanding parents and excellent friends that allow me the freedom to take a break and sort those sorts of things out for myself.”

Suga nods, unsure how to exactly respond to that. “I’d think it’d be the pressure to get it right every time that would get me. You do one thing wrong, and the whole kingdom knocking on your door demanding justice? No thanks, I’ll stay a peasant.”

Daichi snorts. “The trick is not doing stupid things where other people can see,” he grins.

_ Not that different from what we’re doing right now _ , Suga thinks to himself.  _ Literally anyone would say me hanging out with the crown prince of Haikyu is unbelievably stupid, but no one is around to see us and he’s still hot, so I’m doing it anyways _ . 

“How do you know when no one’s watching?” He asks, ignoring the thought. “Surely, you’ve got spies and power-hungry people breathing down your neck all the time?”

“That’s why I’ve got Bokuto and Kuroo, my two personal guards. They make sure if I do something stupid, they’re the only ones who see it. Conveniently, since they’re also my best friends, my idiocy is safe.”

“I bet they have some hilarious stories,” Suga giggles, trying to picture what sorts of things a person could say about  _ him _ if they were glued to his side any longer than a day.

Daichi sighs. “You have  _ no  _ idea. And the worst part is, judging by the way Bo was talking about you, he’d probably gladly tell you anything you asked. He’s a brilliant warrior with a heart of gold, but his filter needs some work.”

Bokuto and Kuroo were talking about him? To Daichi? Who else were they talking with?

Suga is suddenly brutally reminded of why he’s supposed to be keeping his distance from all these people. The grape vine in this town is superb. Too much longer spent in their presence, and his newfound friendship will make its way back to the mansion. 

And if he somehow ruined his step-mother’s plan to marry Oikawa or Tobio to Daichi, she’d probably kill him regardless of the wealth, just out of irritation.

He hates that this has to be his reality, that he has to leave this hot guy and their fun banter and his delightful friends, and he knows this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he has to prioritize himself first. He’s not safe when he’s with Daichi, as safe as Daichi makes him feel.

“Hey, I’ve got to go. Work and stuff. I’ll see you around?” He says, standing and beginning to back away from him. “It’s been nice talking with you.”

“Would you like me to walk you to your work?” Daichi asks, looking up in mild alarm. He’s got strawberry juice on his cheek. Suga feels his heart break a little bit - contrary to his initial prejudice, Sawamura Daichi seems to be a pretty nice guy and it… it sucks, not being able to be his friend. To take him up on his offer to walk together.

“No, no, it’s alright. I’ll be okay. Enjoy the berries!”

Daichi waves, looking a little disappointed.

Suga is disappointed too. But he doesn’t let Daichi see that as he walks away, prying the bushes apart to reveal the seldom-trodden deer path toward the mansion.

The next morning, Suga sleeps in. 

It’s basically the most glorious thing ever. It even makes the lingering sadness of avoiding Daichi and Kuroo and Bokuto less horrible. When he wakes, it's gentle and thoroughly unhurried, his eyelids opening only when the sunlight pouring in through his tiny window makes them pink and glowing. 

He hasn’t been awake long when there’s a gentle knock on the door, soft and tentative. He smiles. “Come in, Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi steps inside the tiny room, looking positively horrible. It’s clear he hasn’t slept or bathed recently, dark, dark bags under his eyes and smudges and dust all over his skin and clothes. “Suga… I’m horrible for even considering asking this, but… could… could you maybe come back? Even just to help organize us? Yesterday… Yesterday really sucked, and this whole week is gonna be like that and…”

Suga stands, immediately wrapping Yamaguchi into a hug. “What happened? Did someone screw up? What can I do?”

Yamaguchi melts into his embrace, clearly taking a moment to rest, leaning against Suga heavily. “She’s… having a ball,” he yawns. “In six days. A big one. Inviting the whole town. Basically the whole house will be open for use. She has us all working around the clock, preparing. There’s… There’s so much to do, but she didn’t organize us at all, and everyone keeps fighting… No one argues with you… And you make things seem so much easier.”

He doesn’t want to clean or cook or sew or do anything that throwing a ball at the Kageyama mansion involves. Not really. But he hates seeing Yamaguchi so bone-weary, hates the way he’s begging for help. He would never abandon his friends. “I’m… I’m not going to work full days,” he stutters, trying to find the balance. He wants to help his friends, but he  _ never _ gets this much time off either. It sucks to have to choose.

“You don’t have to work at all!” Yamaguchi perks up as though he got his second wind. He seems thoroughly relieved. “Even if you just… you know, supervise? Help organize us? That’d be so great. No one argues with you and you always know exactly who to assign where. That’d make it so much easier.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” he says, squeezing Yamaguchi again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday.”

Yamaguchi pulls back, his face hardening. “No. Don’t apologize. You need to have free time. You need space. I  _ hate _ that I’m even here. I wouldn’t be, but Hinata passed out from exhaustion yesterday and that he wasn’t the only one. The cooks are getting so overworked that they’re struggling to get any food out to feed us, so I think that’s what happened. Just because you are forced to live here doesn’t mean that you’re in any way responsible for us, Suga. Yes, we’re your friends and we know you care for us, but you take care of us enough as it is.”

Suga smiles warmly. “C’mon. Let’s go figure out a schedule that gets you guys some rest and some food. I didn’t want to go into town today anyways.” He doesn’t mention why, knowing Yamaguchi will either scold him or worry or both, and he needs neither.

True to his word, the servants are arguing in the foyer when Suga surfaces with Yamaguchi. When they see Suga coming toward them, they start arguing  _ at _ him, trying to convince him of their opinions. It’s the whole mansion’s worth of servants, including the kitchen staff, so it’s pure chaos for a long time.

He simply waits until they stop talking, before calmly asking for his step-mother’s list of tasks. Eventually, one of the more elderly men on staff hands it over and Sugawara takes his time reading through it, considering his options. 

“These tablecloths she wants sound like a lot of work,” he muses, noting the excessive description. “And this banquet will surely be one to remember, judging by all this food.”

He frowns at a couple of the notes - she wants them to refloor the dance hall? They can’t do that in six days. They’d be working miracles if they did it in three times that. He’s got an idea for that, though, so he puts that aside for later.

He assigns the kitchen staff, and two extra sets of hands to the kitchens, preparing food. He assigns another five to sewing the tablecloths and any other fabric-based needs. He assigns four people to general tidying. The mansion is still vastly clean, and four people dedicated simply to wandering the mansion and spot-cleaning will be sufficient. He dismisses everyone, the remaining two people looking rather confused.

“I’ve got an idea for the floors, but I need to double check my theory, okay? Until I get back, you two need to go in the kitchens. You’re going to be doing nothing but preparing meals for the servants. As many as you can. They don’t need to be perfect, just as healthy and energizing as you can manage. Hopefully, at least two for every servant for the next six days.”

The two nod, and then they're off. Hinata, one of the two remaining, gives Suga a quick hug before running off to work. 

Suga smiles, then resides himself to going back into town. He doesn't want to - avoiding Daichi, Bokuto, and Kuroo would be much easier from the mansion - but he needs to talk to Ennoshita. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga figures out what to do about the floors, and Daichi mourns the inability to find out more about his crush he's fallen hard and fast for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since not only did i forget to post a chapter, but i also have been the WORST about responding to comments, have another chapter :D i'm sorry to the people who have commented i HAVE read and loved all of the comments, i just haven't been the in headspace to respond! I will do that soon!!!

A while later, he stealthily sneaks into Ennoshita's. He saw Kuroo on the way in, but managed to convey how much he  _ didn't _ want his presence noticed before Kuroo said or did anything to ruin his stealth.

Kuroo just nodded subtly, then continued talking to Daichi and Bokuto as if nothing happened. Suga thanks the gods for small blessings like that. 

"Sugawara, good morning… You look tense."

Suga turns and smiles disarmingly at Ennoshita. "Morning! I'm fine! Just… you know. Making sure I'm not being followed. It would be a horrible day to be brutally axe-murdered."

"Is there a good day to be axe-murdered?" Ennoshita drawls, checking his orders. "Lady Kageyama doesn't have any orders ready."

"Yeah, I'm actually here for your expertise instead of your shoes."

Ennoshita gestures with his hand for Suga to continue. He seems snippier today - Suga's not sure why.

"If I were wanting to completely change the appearance of a wooden floor, could shoe polish do the trick?”

Ennoshita nods. “You’d need lots of coats, and it wouldn’t change the grain of the wood, but it’d change the color in a pinch and would be pretty permanent.”

“Do you know where I might be able to get a lot of it?”

His eyes narrowed. “How much do you need?”

“Enough to stain a ballroom floor.”

“I can get you that,” he shrugs. “I’ll have Kenma deliver it to the servants’ quarters by tomorrow morning.” Suga grins - he hadn’t been expecting that. Getting the supplies for free would make his step-mother even easier to please. “Suga, there’s something else I want to ask you about.”

The grin fades. “What is it?” Ennoshita never has anything to ask him, not in a tone of voice like that.

“Prince Sawamura came into the store yesterday asking if I knew your name, or where you worked. He said he met you yesterday and failed to catch your name.”

Suga pales. “You didn’t tell him, right?”

Ennoshita rolls his eyes. “Of course not. I’m not stupid. I just said you were a customer and I couldn’t recall who you worked for. He wasn’t stupid enough to ask if I had a log.”

Heaving a deep, deep sigh of relief, Suga relaxes again. “Thanks, Chikara,”

His eyes narrow, and the thanks goes unaddressed. “What’d she threaten you with?”

“She didn’t, actually,” Suga says softly. “She told me as long as the royal party was in town, I didn’t have to work, as long as I steered clear of them and didn’t interfere.”

Ennoshita nods his understanding. “Stay safe, Sugawara.”

Daichi meanders back to his room in the local inn. It’s cramped and unexciting, but it’s homey and warm too. Bokuto and Kuroo are lounging on his bed, making faces that are, in theory, supposed to be enticing. 

“Any luck?” Kuroo drawls.

“No.” Either no one in town knew the silver-haired man’s name, or they were all shielding him for some reason that he could not figure out. No one would tell him - not even the terrified blonde seamstress who was clearly immensely intimidated by him. When he asked for the man’s name, her back straightened and her eyes cleared and suddenly she was brave and firm. “What did you two find?” He tries to keep the irritation out of his voice.

It’s not that he doubts that Kuroo and Bokuto have good intentions, but he would have thought the loyalty to him would trounce the loyalty to the silver-haired stranger. But despite his best efforts, nothing would convince them to share his name. They admitted they knew it, and told him what he said.

Just not his name.

Bokuto tosses a ball, no bigger than his hand, up at the ceiling, catching as it falls back down. He’s been more focused, almost subdued since being introduced to the stitcher. Daichi personally thinks it’s a little creepy. “There’s a baroness north of town a ways. She has two sons, one much older than us and another a little younger than us. There’s also Lady Kageyama and her sons, and they’re to the east a ways. One of her sons is our age, the other the same age as Baroness Tsukishima’s younger son. There’s also a few outlying farms.”

“Could he be a servant?” Daichi asks no one in particular. “He was dressed like one.”

Kuroo turns piercing eyes on him. “Daichi, you know I would never discourage you from true love. You, more than anyone else I know, need to get laid. You know it, I know it, Bokuto knows it, even your father knows it.  _ And _ , you know that I know your intentions with Silver are wholesome and fairly pure. However, I think you need to consider the possibility that, for whatever reason, Silver seems to think you knowing his identity would make him unsafe. Personally, I don’t think it’s personal. But Silver seems to know everyone around here. The fact that so many people are protecting him suggests that maybe he really would be in danger if you became friends. That, or it’s some sort of curse, which you  _ know _ is a bad idea to get mixed up in.”

“Akaashi’s been opening up to me a little,” Bokuto says quietly, eyes on the ceiling. “He doesn’t give me any details, but he’s really worried about Silver. Said something about his priorities being out of whack. I liked Silver too, don’t get me wrong, but this is all beginning to sound like messy drama to me, which is the  _ last _ thing you need on your shoulders, Dai. Maybe, you’d be better off keeping in mind what made him so attractive and finding someone who’s a little less mysterious.”

Kuroo nods like that that’s a good point, which Daichi thinks is unfair. “But I hardly corner the market on not liking drama,” he argues. “No one likes messy drama, regardless of who’s fault is what. At least, no one likes it long term. I doubt these people would all protect him and get defensive on his behalf if drama was the problem.”

“But Daichi, you saw for yourself how charismatic and charming he is. I know you get heart-eyes whenever you look at him, but he’s like that with everyone. He’s got a very trustable, energetic aura that makes him likable, even if you don’t know him at all. I mean, for crying out loud, Bo and I talked to him for a  _ long _ while yesterday, and his name is basically all we can confidently tell you about him. Generally speaking, people aren’t secretive unless there’s a reason. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that the reason might be unpleasant, and maybe should be considered.”

Daichi is about to dispute this, his mouth opening, when he’s interrupted. “This is a circular argument,” Bokuto mutters. “Daichi’s too curious and stubborn, Kuroo. I’ll start looking into possible criminal groups nearby tomorrow. Maybe Akaashi will know something. You intermingle with the locals and see what you can find out about the local gossip. Maybe, if they get drunk enough, someone will slip up and say something about Silver’s situation.”

Kuroo shrugs and nods. Once again, Daichi wants to ask why they aren’t starting today and  _ now _ , when there’s a knock at the door.

It never fails to spook Daichi how fast and quiet Kuroo and Bokuto can move when they want to. 

There’s a knock at the door and by the time he’s processed the sound, Bokuto and Kuroo are shoulder to shoulder between him and the door, weapons in hand. 

Kuroo opens the door, only to be bustled past like he’s nothing. But it’s fine, because it’s Advisor Takeda and his husband, Advisor Ukai, with Ushijima and Aone right on their tails. 

“You need to go to the local seamstress or stitcher today! I  _ knew _ not bringing dress clothes was going to come back and bite us! I was telling Kuroo as soon as he proposed the idea to myself and Keishin that this would be a mistake and he seemed to think that the only place we might have a problem with this was in the cities, where there would be plenty of stores, but I  _ knew _ some of the country towns would pull things together and-”

Ukai laughs, patting Takeda on the back and effectively stopping his rambling, which is good, because Takeda hadn’t stopped to take a breath and Daichi had been worried he was going to pass out. “What he means to say is the Lady Kageyama has announced a masquerade ball at the end of the week and has invited the entirety of the town, and our party in particular. She sent a servant, a little ball of sunshine and energy with red hair, to invite us personally.” He waves a small card with neat, flourished lettering. “So, the sooner we approach a seamstress, the better. It would appear that Miss Yachi is the only competent seamstress in town, and employs a few stitchers below her. You’ll need suits and kerchiefs and all that junk, but you’ll also need masks. Probably, she’ll want some idea of what you’re looking to be.”

“Oh! And you’ll need new sheathes for your weapons!” Takeda blurts, looking much calmer now that it’s all out in the open. He smiles brightly, adjusting his monocle. His failing sight has led to  _ many _ nauseatingly adorable moments between him and his husband, and the introduction of the monocle has, unfortunately, not stopped them from being one of the cutest couples Daichi knows. “Ukai and myself will work on the RSVP. Maybe Aone will be willing to deliver it?” He turns his appealing gaze to Aone, who nods obediently. Takeda grins, giving the young knight a hug. 

Daichi smiles. Aone looks disgruntled and annoyed, but Daichi can see the tiny smile. Takeda’s personality is one that at first seems to be too much, in your business and nosy, but eventually wears you down into genuinely liking him. Though Aone only started recently, following the retirement of the last guard, seems to be already affectionate for the bubbly advisor.

“This will be a great opportunity to meet lots of townspeople at once!” Takeda chirps, clapping his hands as he leans into Ukai. “And we’ll get to  _ dance _ , dear! We haven’t had an opportunity to dance in ages!”

Ukai blushes at the nickname, like he always does, wrapping an arm around Takeda nonetheless. “There was a ball at the castle not two moons ago, love.”

Takeda is not amused. “While you’re technically correct, if you’ll recall, King Sawamura had us entertaining Madam Inaba. Who does  _ not _ dance, nor laugh, nor smile, nor do  _ anything _ for herself. That, light of my life, does  _ not _ count as dancing.”

Ukai grins good-naturedly, squeezing Takeda. “I know, dear. I was teasing.”

Daichi feels his heart flutter. Maybe the silver-haired man would be in attendance? 

Bokuto nudges him, as if reading his mind. “If he’s a servant, he’ll likely not be in attendance. They don’t make the salary required to purchase the clothes.”

Daichi feels his heart sink. Of course, Bokuto’s right. That, on top of the fact he knows  _ nothing _ about the silver-haired man, suggests he should probably give up on the guy altogether. They could afford to stay here a  _ little _ longer than they had at other towns, but at a certain point they would have to leave. Visit other towns and villages and cities, then return to the castle where he would return to all the stress and proposals and expectations with no basically nothing to show for his efforts.

He cannot wait for Silver, as Bokuto and Kuroo call him. He wants nothing but to wait, til it’s safe for him, til he’s willing to give Daichi a chance, til he trusts him.

He rolls his shoulders back, dislodging Kuroo’s hand from where it had landed, undoubtedly trying to infuse comfort into his heart. “We’ll visit the seamstress today, Takeda. Thanks for bringing us the news. We’re looking forward to it. I expect spectacular costumes from the two of you.”

Takeda winks, bows to him, then leaves, exit just as bustley as his entrance. Ukai sighs, his lovesick smile betraying him as he too bows and follows him out.

“Well,” Kuroo says as the door shuts behind Ushijima. “We could be totally misreading this situation, and he might be in attendance.”

“Yeah, Daichi! I could be wrong! I’m wrong a lot!” Bokuto grins goofily. Takeda always unintentionally winds Bokuto up, his chaotic energy fuelling all chaotic people in his vicinity. Daichi sighs.

“It’s alright, guys. I’ll find someone else.”

Kuroo and Bokuto frown. Daichi knows the struggle - they don’t  _ want _ to discourage him from his first real crush in ages, but they also want him safe more than anything else. Both physically and emotionally.

“What are you two gonna commission your masks and suits to be?” He asks, trying to change the subject. Silver’s sparkling hazel eyes and kind smile are shimmering in his mind’s eye and he cannot bring himself to banish the image. He wonders what Silver would choose for his mask.

“Cat, probably,” Kuroo says, picking at a loose thread on his tunic. “Black.”

“I wanna be an owl!” Bokuto grins. “With lots of silver!”

The answers don’t surprise him in the slightest. “I think I’ll be a crow,” Daichi says, strapping his sword on. “Maybe the beak will keep people from trying to kiss me.”

Kuroo bursts out laughing. It doesn’t quite break the tension, but it certainly helps. “I forgot about that! Which weathered old bag tried to tongue duel ya again?”

Daichi shudders. “I don’t even remember. I’ve done my best to block out everything about that night. Takeda wasn’t the only one who did  _ not _ have fun.”

“Are you talking ‘bout the night we had to throw everyone out?” Bokuto grins at the memory, the curve of his mouth satisfied. “That was  _ fun _ .”

Kuroo snorts. “You just like wrestling with drunk people.”

“They’re so  _ stupid _ !” he giggles, a smidge evilly. “They have no balance and they’re all…” He crosses his eyes and makes a stupid face. “They don’t even really know where they are or what they’re doing! And they wanna throw hands with the best knights in the kingdom!”

Daichi smiles. “It  _ was _ pretty satisfying to watch Duke Mizushima fall down the stairs after trying to draw his sword on Bo, you have to admit Kuroo.” Bokuto hadn’t even done anything in particular to earn that, either, which only made the  _ completely _ flopped attempt even more amusing.

Kuroo smirks. “I didn’t say there was anything  _ wrong _ with wrestling drunk people.  _ Especially  _ Duke Mizushima.” The duke had made some  _ unpleasant _ comments about Kuroo’s mother. Kuroo would be unlikely to ever forget the duke, nor stop wanting the duke dead. The fact that he remains breathing is a testament to Bokuto’s skill with a blade and Daichi’s command over the two knights.

Strapping on his own sword and pulling his boots on, the two take the hint and prepare to leave. They have to go to the seamstress, Daichi supposes. Maybe Silver would come there. At the very least, it will be a while that Daichi won’t have to think too hard. He is waiting very patiently until it is socially appropriate to get drunk.

Maybe alcohol will steal the memories of Silver. _Wow_ , he is in too deep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuga meet again! 
> 
> Also angst occurs :)

On the way out of the seamstress’, their measurements and specifications taken down, Daichi literally collides with Silver. Delight sparks in his heart, only to be dampened by the genuine pain on Silver’s face.

He looks pretty as ever in the fading afternoon sun, and eventually the pained expression is hidden behind a smile of friendliness. “Prince Sawamura!” He greets, bowing after he recovers his footing.

“We need to stop meeting this,” Daichi chuckles, watching as Silver eyes the door behind him nervously, as if he’s looking for an escape plan as he dusts off his trousers. His  _ torn, stained, ragged _ trousers, his mind whispers to him.  _ The clothes of a servant _ . “I actually had a question for you, if you wouldn’t mind my asking.”

Silver meets his gaze, the pain in his eyes worse than before. “Sure, go ahead,” he says, but Daichi can hear the  _ plea _ to not ask the wrong question.

He stumbles. He was going to ask for his name, but he wilts at the look in his eyes. He can’t do it. He hates that he made Silver make that expression.  _ Hates _ it. “Are you coming to the masquerade ball at the Lady Kageyama’s mansion? It’s in a few days, and the whole town is invited.” Some of the pain in Silver’s eyes is replaced with surprise, and the guilt in Daichi’s chest eases. “I would love to get the chance to get to know you better,” he adds with a tentative smile.

Silver’s eyes light up. “Really?” But then he shakes his head, and the light is gone from his face. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can make it. I’ve… it’s complicated.” He winces apologetically, that pain back in his eyes.

“Don’t apologize!” Daichi blurts, flushing himself. “I shouldn’t press. I’ve come into this town like a hurricane. You all have lives and schedules and responsibilities. It’s not my place to assume that simply because I have time for something that everyone does.”

Silver blushes too. “Thank you, Prince. I can tell you with confidence that we all appreciate your consciousness of our lives, but we are delighted you’re here and to have the chance to meet you and get to know you.” Daichi tries not to let his heart be speared with hope, as Silver is included in that ‘we’. “Your presence here, however brief, has sparked excitement into our lives. So thank you for that.”

“Would… would you like to join us for dinner?” Daichi spits out before he can chicken out, and Silver blushes  _ dark red _ . He looks pleased, though, and that alone makes Daichi’s heart sing. “We’re never sure where the best place to find food is, and I’ve found friendly locals are the best people to ask.”

Silver stammers. “I… Well, that’s… wow, that’s so sweet of you to ask… uh… um…”

“It’s alright if you’re busy,” Daichi continues. “Or if it’s complicated. I understand. Kuroo and Bo tell me you introduced them to some other locals as well. Perhaps we can ask them.”

Though it appears to pain him all the more, Silver nods. “That might be better. I’ve… I’ve got… work.” He smiles weakly, not the least bit convincingly. Daichi wants to ask what he does. “Tell Akaashi and Kenma I said hello,” he murmurs as he passes them to go into the seamstress’.

Daichi has never been more confused in his life.

Bokuto and Kuroo nudge him along. “Good call on not asking him,” Kuroo says softly. “I think he likes you more for it.”

“Man, that was depressing!” Bokuto whines, which Kuroo pinches him for. Daichi appreciates the effort, but doesn’t mind. It’s what they’re all thinking anyways. “OW, Kuroo, you bastard. Use your words, man.”

“‘S alright, Kuroo,” Daichi murmurs. “I was thinking it too.”

Kuroo wraps an arm around his shoulders, and Bokuto’s slips around his waist. Both their heads rest on his shoulders. They only do this when they really want to comfort him. Daichi doesn’t shove them off, but he considers it. He got turned down. It’s not the end of the world.

But it doesn’t feel good anyway. Which is why he doesn’t stop them.

Suga  _ moans _ when he shuts the door to Yachi’s behind him. The crown prince of Haikyu  _ invited him to dinner _ .  _ Wants to get to know him better _ . “Stupid stepmother,” he hisses under his breath. “Stupid will. Stupid money. Stupid dance, stupid dinner, stupid Daichi, and most of all, stupid, stupid me!” The hottest person he’s ever met  _ asks him out _ and he says what? He can’t because it’s complicated? Yeah, it’s the  _ truth _ but  _ dammit _ .

“You okay, Sugawara?” The tentative voice makes Suga open his eyes and consider the concept of checking who could hear him before speaking. “You… look upset.”

Azumane Asahi, the super shy stitcher, is manning the counter. His long hair is loose around his shoulders, chestnut waves soothing to look at. “Sorry, Azumane,” he mumbles as he straightens and clears his throat. “Just bemoaning my stunning good looks.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Why?”

Suga blushes. He can’t quite get a read on Asahi yet. He’s shy and tentative, but there’s something about him that tells Suga he isn’t to be messed with. He doesn’t know anything about his personal life, whether he has family or a significant other, doesn’t know how long he’s lived here or what made him choose Karasuno. “I got asked to the dance Lady Kageyama is holding and I can’t go.”  _ It’s not that I can’t go,  _ he adds silently.  _ It’s that Prince Sawamura wants me to be there, so I can’t go. If he didn’t know I exist, like it was supposed to happen, I could probably go. _

“Why not?” Asahi asks, surprised. “If you’re part of her household, wouldn’t you be expected to be there? Even if not as one of the guests, at least as a servant?”

Suga shakes his head. “She’s scared I’m gonna get involved with the royal party.”  _ More than I already am _ .

Asahi snorts. “Sounds like her. Are you going to go anyway?”

He shakes his head. “I can’t risk it. I don’t… I don’t want her to kill me, Asahi. That would be grounds for murder as far as she’s concerned. Besides… I don’t have clothes. Or a mask. And I just told the person who asked me that I can’t go.”

“Suga, I don’t know you very well, but you deserve to go to the dance and have fun as much as anyone else. Would you have said yes if not for her?”

“Yeah,” he mutters.  _ All day long, till I ran out of breath to say yes _ . 

“Let me think on it,” Asahi says gently. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Suga doesn’t know what he means, but shakes his head regardless. “Don’t bother. It’s alright. It’s just a ball. There’s always another one. Maybe I’ll be able to go to the next one. What’s important is I stay alive until I can get out of that hellhole. I’m so close. That’s what I need to focus on.” He tries his best to smile. “Until then, though, Lady Kageyama has a couple dresses she’s wanting me to pick up.”

Asahi retrieves the dresses, two ball gowns with matching masks, letting Suga take them in his arms. “Try to keep your chin up, Suga. Maybe a miracle will happen.”

Suga smiles sadly. “I don’t believe in miracles, Asahi.”

The next day, and the day after are much the same. Suga doesn’t leave the mansion, staying and helping buff and stain the ballroom floor. 

He hears from other servants though.

_ Prince Sawamura is looking for a silver-haired servant. _

_ Prince Sawamura says he’s found someone who’s caught his eye! _

_ Does anyone know who’s shot Prince Sawamura’s heart with Cupid’s arrow? _

It all makes Suga a little nauseous. 

That’s a lie. It makes Sugawara Koushi a  _ lot _ nauseous. But he pretends it doesn’t, chattering mindlessly with the servants with a huge smile and lots of forced positivity. He has to pretend it doesn’t bother him, or some of them might figure out  _ he’s _ the silver-haired servant that Daichi’s looking for, and he’s  _ sure  _ to meet his untimely demise at the hands of his stepmother, which would be a crying shame. Dying young  _ and _ unkissed by the hottest man he’s ever met? Not allowed. He’ll only take the loss of one.

The floor, however, is looking great - completely unidentifiable as the same floor that’s been in this ball room for the past two decades. The added bonus is that he gets to spend the days with Hinata, something else he rarely ever gets to do. Hinata’s a bright, bouncing ball of sunshine and raw, unfiltered determination, excited to be alive and to take another breath. He tells Suga all about this new game one of the other servants taught him and how much he loves it already and how he’s determined to become the best player who ever lived.

Suga doesn’t really listen, but he does nod and encourage Hinata. The other servant who’s helping them seems slightly irritated by the constant flow of noise coming from the small, hyperactive ginger - whether it be talking or humming or singing - but Suga doesn’t mind it at all. Better listening to Hinata than his own thoughts, after all.

It’s evening, and he’s officially clocked out for the day, when there’s a hesitant tap on the window. He opens it, surprised to watch Tanaka and Nishinoya leap down into his room. Since he’s not needed to wake up early, it’s been several days since he’s seen them. “Hey!” Nishinoya squeaks, grinning. “How are ya? You look tired! Did ya have fun today?”

“Yeah!” Tanaka joins in, wiggling his little mouse body in excitement. “What trouble did ya get up to?!”

Suga grins weakly. “Well, in preparation for this masquerade ball my stepmother is hostessing, I’ve been helping the servants. She totally threw them to the wolves without any guidance, and since I’m not supposed to be interacting with the royal party at all, I thought it might be better if I stayed home.”

Nishinoya crosses his arms as he tsks, Tanaka mirroring him. “You were given free time, the most you’ve ever been given by this bitch, and you’re  _ still working _ ?”

Suga wilts. “I… I wouldn’t, if it weren’t for Prince Sawamura. He… He really likes me,” he whispers. “I’ve tried to tell him I can’t, but he won’t give up. If she finds out he knows me, much less  _ likes _ me, she’ll literally kill me as painfully as she can and make it look like an accident. I don’t  _ want _ to work, I want to be outside and free and have fun, but I can’t… It’s safer if I’m here. He doesn’t know where I live yet. I’d rather be alive and single than dead and have someone who cares about me.”

Nishinoya leaps at him and bites him, and Suga cries out in surprise. “Sugawara Koushi, you dumb bastard. You think we come here at the asscrack of dawn every morning because we don’t care about you? You say that again and I’ll kick your scrawny ass into the next decade!” The words are said furiously and passionately, but it doesn’t escape Suga’s notice that they are said by a mouse. The image of a mouse attempting to “kick his scrawny ass” is an amusing one, but not funny enough to ruin the mood.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant,” Suga murmurs. “That came out really wrong. I just mean that I can’t risk getting to know Daichi when my life is what’s at stake. She would  _ kill _ me, guys. That’s not an exaggeration or a metaphor or anything. She’d actually murder me. Slit my throat. Hang me from the tree outside. Carve me up and feed me to the pigs. I don’t know, but I’d be  _ dead _ .”

Tanaka growls. “You deserve to be  _ happy _ ,” he grumbles.

“People keep saying that,” Suga says back, his own anger at the situation slipping into his words and clawing control away from him. “They say I should be happy, that I should reorder my priorities, that I deserve more, but that doesn’t change anything, does it?”

Tanaka and Nishinoya are silent.

“I  _ know _ that I’m not supposed to live in fear and paranoia! I know that! I know that I’m basically a slave! I know I should eat more and sleep more and get more free time and I  _ know  _ people are only telling me because they care and they want better for me, but that doesn’t change anything! I don’t get more food because Hinata says I’m too thin. I don’t get more rest because Yamaguchi says I look tired. Akaashi’s mule wouldn’t be less dead if I borrowed it because I’ve taken five trips from the mansion to the shop! If they feel so strongly about what I should or shouldn’t do, why don’t they actually try to change instead of telling me to do it myself? I’ve damn well  _ tried _ ! Does no one remember when I petitioned the baroness, right after my father’s death? Because all the stipulations and bullshit he put in that damned document are absolute horseshit?” Silence. “My efforts were pointless! Why does  _ no one _ remember that I approached Tsukishima Akiteru about the abuse? I laid out my whole life for him to see, frickin everything! That I asked his trained fighter ass to do something and he told me there was nothing he could do! How he had to protect his family first! How I needed to deal with it myself! And how I can’t even blame him because my step mother is literally a serial killer!”

Suga’s panting for breath now, tears welling in his eyes. He’s so  _ tired _ . “Just stop talking to me,” he says, not really speaking to anyone in particular. “I  _ know _ .” His voice cracks terribly as a sob gets stuck in his throat. “I know I look like shit. I know I need more. I know this woman will kill me before everything I’ve worked for becomes mine. I know that everyone thinks I deserve more. I know there’s people who care about me for gods know what reasons, and I know that two little mice who are kinder to me than half the people I know come wake me every morning because for some reason, they decided they care about my dumbass.”

He’s crying now, and Tanaka jumps up on his arm to rub against his face, hugging him as best as he can. Nishinoya joins him a moment later, still silent as he sobs, his poor broken heart not taking another moment of this cheerful act. It’s a long while before he can speak again, the ache in his chest insurmountable.

“I  _ want _ to be happy,” he croaks eventually. “I want to flirt with Daichi and dance with him, I want to wander the fields picking flowers and learn to bake! I want to adopt a cat and a dog and spoil them rotten, til they’re so fat that they can’t stand up! I have all these visions for my future that I want so bad, they show up in my dreams. But I can’t do that without… without my mom’s fortune. Without what’s mine. I can’t do it. I can’t leave what little’s left of her behind, not yet. I have to try. My mom never gave up. Not once. I can’t fail her like that.”

“Will you come with us into town tomorrow afternoon?” Nishinoya whispers into his neck. “Please? We’ve got a surprise for you.”

Suga stiffens. “A surprise?”

Tanaka nods, his whiskers tickling Suga’s cheek. “We’ve been working really hard on it, actually. It’s part of the reason we haven’t visited at all in the past couple days. Will you see it? I promise we won’t tell you to eat more.”

Despite himself, he chuckles a little, scratching behind Tanaka’s ear. “Thanks, you two. Really. I don’t know what I would do without you guys. I mean it.”

Nishinoya rubs against his neck. “You’re welcome, Suga. Thanks for being real with us, too. I know you don’t talk much about your feelings, and I know you’re under a lot of pressure that no one recognizes. I’m really glad you trust us. Also, I feel left out. Why don’t I get head-scratches? Am I somehow  _ less _ important than Tanaka?”

Suga giggles a little easier this time, and scratches Nishinoya’s head too. Tanaka sticks his tongue out. “Don’t abandon me yet, guys, okay? I know I’m a pain in the ass.”

Tanaka snorts. “If you think you can get rid of us just by getting emotional every once in a while, you are  _ sorely _ mistaken. Have you  _ met _ our bosses?” Nishinoya sighs dramatically, and Tanaka rolls his eyes. “Our bosses are the snippiest, growliest, pains in the ass I’ve ever met, Noya. I want to complain about them.”

Suga laughs again, scratching behind both pairs of mice ears. “You two are great. And once I get out of here, you two will be the first two rapscallions I spoil rotten. I promise.”

Tanaka fistpumps the air, and Nishinoya squeezes Suga. “Hell yeah!” They chorus. “That’s the spirit, bro!” Tanaka shouts to the sky.

“We’re holding you to that,” Nishinoya says, leaping for the windowsill, butt wiggling as his jump is a smidge short and he has to haul his tiny body up over the edge. “I expect  _ banquets  _ thrown in my honor.”

Suga snorts, giving Tanaka a lift to the window. He mocks a bow. “Yes, Mouse Master.”

“We’re not kidding!” Tanaka growls, but there’s a grin worming its way across his features. “Bastard, you promised! We expect spoiling!”

Which only makes Suga laugh even more. “Understood!”

His chest hurts less as he watches them run off as evening fades to night. Even if he doesn’t get the time he wants with Daichi, he at least has them, the odd little mice that they are, and that is not something to be underestimated.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noya and Tanaka's surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my mental health is Suffering so i'm posting more chapters to hopefully bring others joy! this is a really happy chapter too, which seems fitting! enjoy!!!

They don’t come until the next afternoon, when the sun is still pretty high in the sky. The masquerade is supposed to start when the sun officially sinks below the horizon. He’s not in his room, but they find him in the ballroom, helping Yamaguchi with the table arrangements. They don’t say anything, but when he sees them, he dismisses himself and wishes them a fun night. They’ll, of course, be serving the guests, but they’ll get to enjoy the music and probably get a few dances in.

It’s hard not to envy their freedom, their excitement, but he instead decides to be excited for Tanaka and Nishinoya’s surprise for him. He’s a hard person to get gifts for, as he can’t have any possessions that aren’t his two sets of raggedy clothes, his bed, and his tiny dresser. It’s not talked about, but he knows there are servants that are required to go through his room at least once a day and remove any new possessions he may acquire.

He waits until he’s on the road toward town to begin talking. “You two look really excited.” 

Nishinoya and Tanaka grin at each, then at Suga. “You’re gonna be so surprised!” Noya squeaks.

“Are we doing both surprises, or just the time-sensitive one?” Tanaka asks, glancing up at Suga.

“Probably both, right? Especially since Suga will want the connection?”

“Suga’s still right here?” Suga says, bewildered. “You two have  _ two _ surprises for me?”

“One’s more relevant than the other,” Tanaka says calmingly, as if that makes Suga any less surprised. “The other is more because the one doesn’t make as much sense if you don’t know them both.”

“Clear as mud,” he mumbles, unable to keep the smile off his face. “I’m really excited, though, so don’t give me any more hints.”

Nishinoya cries out in excitement. “Ooh, this is gonna be  _ so _ good! Tanaka, bro, we did  _ so _ good! I can’t wait to see your reaction, Suga!”

They talk all the way to town, where everyone is bustling around getting carriages and outfits prepared. There is laughing and music in the roads, people singing and prancing in masks and dresses. If he weren’t already excited, he would be now, the energy palpable in the air.

Nishinoya and Tanaka lead him into the alleyway between the seamstress and the blacksmith. Suga follows, a little confused, which doesn’t get any less as he realizes Asahi is standing there, hiding something behind his back.

Suga blinks. “I’m confused?” He says, smiling tentatively. “You know Nishinoya and Tanaka, Asahi?”

Asahi smiles proudly. “Nishinoya’s my boyfriend. Tanaka’s gonna be his best man at our wedding.”

The number of thoughts pouring through Suga’s head is impressive. The one that manages to come out his mouth is less so.

“You’re dating a mouse? Isn’t that… like… beastiality?”

There’s a moment of stunned silence, and then Tanaka and Nishinoya burst into hysterical laughter. As in there are physical tears streaming down their whiskers and they are  _ wheezing _ . Asahi is just tomato red.

“Show him, Asahi. He hasn’t figured it out on his own yet, even though we tried to give him hints and stuff.”

Asahi closes his eyes, and Suga’s jaw drops as the orbs behind the lids glow gold. He blinks, and instead of there being two mice where Nishinoya and Tanaka stood, there are two guys roughly his age. One is shorter with a blond streak of hair, the other is taller with a shaved head. They smile at him, and the smiles are familiar.

Suga thinks he might faint, he’s so confused.

“They aren’t mice, Sugawara,” Asahi says gently, wrapping an arm around the shorter. “They’re people. I’m… I’m a witch. I’m just good at transfiguration.”

“He’s your fairy godfather!” The shorter man yells, and Suga thinks he must be hallucinating, because how else would Nishinoya’s voice come out of a person instead of a mouse?

“Yeah, we met you at the smithery one day and you had just gotten whipped because you weren’t up on time, and we decided we had to help. Then, we got to know you and we became friends, so we never stopped coming back. Asahi transforms us every morning and then back again, so we can go to work.” Is that  _ Tanaka’s _ voice coming out of that tall, buff, practically bald guy?

“Oh.” Suga can only gape. “Why… Why… didn’t you… tell me?” He stumbles.

“We thought it was obvious, and that you were joking at first,” Nishinoya’s voice in that person’s body says. “Then, by the time we realized you had come to terms with the fact that talking mice went out of their way every morning to wake you up and be your friend, it would have been too awkward to inform you of the misunderstanding. And, we were worried your step bitch would find out and you would get in trouble. So… we decided to save it until we had an occasion. Which is today!”

Suga looks at Tanaka. “Which surprise is this?”

He grins. “This is the not-relevant one!”

Suga decides he does not want to think about how the fact that two of his best friends, who are in fact  _ not _ mice is somehow not relevant right now, even though it feels a little bit like his world is crashing down around him. “What… what’s the other… other surprise?” He manages, completely dazed.

“This is,” Asahi says softly, pulling a  _ gorgeous _ white suit out from behind his back. It looks like it’s Suga’s size, and now that he’s paying attention, he realizes that Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Asahi are all dressed up as well. So… it’s for him. He blinks in amazement.

“That… That’s for me?” He cannot fathom it. It has been  _ years _ since he has had a white garment of any kind, much less a suit that’s so detailed and beautiful.

Nishinoya is grinning a feral grin. “And so is this!” He pulls a mask out from his pocket, and Suga’s jaw drops.

A mixture of feathers and metal and fabric, the mask is a gorgeous, white piece of art, reminiscent of a dove. There’s a tiny beak that will fit over his nose, with gleaming silver metal plating outlining the eyes and the bottom edge of the mask. A plume of feathers appears from the middle, fanning out over where his hair would be.

It’s gorgeous. The whole costume is gorgeous.

“You started without me,” Ennoshita’s voice sounds from behind him, and Suga spins. “Rude of you. Don’t pass out, Suga.”

In his hands are a pair of shoes. Glittering, gorgeous, fancy,  _ glass _ shoes. And fancy white socks to match. 

Suga covers his mouth, unable to breathe. He can’t even comprehend what he’s seeing. Tears well in his eyes.

“You’re an idiot, Sugawara,” Asahi rumbles, smiling at the look on his face. “It’s a  _ masquerade. _ The whole point is no one knows your identity. All you needed was clothes, and  _ all  _ of your friends are craftspeople. Hinata and Yamaguchi took your measurements subtly a while ago.”

Suga gasps for air, suddenly crying. Nishinoya and Tanaka come to wrap him in their arms, and he hugs them back as tightly as he can. He’s just so used to things going wrong. He’s used to disappointment, to failure, to losing. He’s so, so, so used to losing, like he lost his mom and he lost his dad and his inheritance and his freedom and his happiness and so many meals. Like he was losing Daichi and the chance to dance and party like everyone else.

This time, he’s not losing. This is what winning feels like. His body feels like it’s going to explode with happiness.

“Gotta say, not the reaction I was expecting,” Ennoshita says quietly. “I was expecting more smiling. We weren’t trying to upset you, Suga.” He’s not upset, the tiny smile on his face says that much. Just teasing.

Suga turns to him, releasing the two in his arms to hug Ennoshita just as tightly. “I’m  _ so _ happy,” he whimpers. “Gods, I’m  _ happy _ .” Without warning, he releases Ennoshita and tackles Asahi in a huge hug. “Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he splutters, finally grinning. “I’m  _ so _ happy.”

“We know,” Tanaka grins. “We can see it all over your face. You’re not subtle, man.”

Nishinoya suddenly runs off, and Suga gingerly fingers the suit. The fabric is unbelievably soft - even softer than the dresses for his step mother. There’s embroidered designs of doves all over, decorative feathers at the collars and elbows. It must have taken  _ forever _ to make.

“Believe it or not, the suit was originally made last winter. Nishinoya thought it might be fun to get you a holiday present, but then he remembered that your room got searched and you wouldn’t be able to keep it, so we decided that it might be better to keep it when you finally got out, as a sort of freedom-warming gift?”

“Then your step bitch announced the masquerade and we all had plans to go, and you… couldn’t, because you had nothing to wear.” Tanaka grins. “So we decided to all work together and make it happen for ya. Nishinoya and I made your mask. Ennoshita and Kenma made your shoes, Asahi, Yachi, and Akaashi added the designs to your suit and socks.”

“Sorry I’m late!” Yachi yells as she skids around the corner into the alleyway. “You’re gonna be a dove, Suga, because you’re always so hopeful and strong, even when you haven’t seen land in so long!” She says, panting. “You’re the optimist all of us hope we can be someday. The pillar of strength.”

Suga turns bright red, on the verge of crying again.

“Careful, Yachi. He’ll start crying again and suffocate you with his affection,” Ennoshita drawls. Suga growls playfully, smacking at the cordwainer, who dodges easily. “Or he’ll beat you up for being right.”

This does not coax Suga to not smack at him again, and he does so, only to be blocked by Nishinoya, who’s now holding a wet rag. “Uh uh uh,” he chides, grinning. “We need to get you ready to go. C’mon.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Masquerade Ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry if this is overwhelming to anyone but i'm so excited to see peoples' reactions that i can't help it

The suit fits perfectly. Tight in all the right places, loose in all the perfect spots. Someone grabs a mirror, and Suga almost starts crying all over again. 

“You look heavenly,” Yachi says softly, smiling as Suga slips on the mask. Tanaka also pulls out beautiful engraved rings he made for Suga, and Suga slips them on too. They’re the perfect size. Apparently, he used his tail to take measurements a while back.

“All thanks to you guys,” he mumbles, turning slowly. He can’t help but grin. 

“And you’ll complement Prince Sawamura beautifully when you dance together,” Yachi chirps, straightening out the back and fluffing some of the feathers. She says it so casually Suga flushes bright red.

“You… You knew?”

“About your crush on the prince?” Yachi grins, hugging him gently. Her own dress, a bright yellow gown, and her goldfinch mask make her glow. “Of course I did. You guys flirted on my front doorstep. You were both pining so loud I could hear it from the back.”

He blushes even darker.

“Shoes,” Ennoshita drones, rolling his eyes at the sappy stuff. “If you break these, Sugawara Koushi, we’re going to be having very angry words. Kenma and I spent three days working on these.”

Suga cannot dream of a world where he would do anything to break these shoes, the shimmering, delicate pieces of art that are made solely for his  _ feet _ . He cannot fathom. He pulls the silky white socks on, then the glass slippers.

He would have expected them to be uncomfortable, but they fit so perfectly it doesn’t matter they’re made of glass. “I won’t break them,” he whispers, admiring them. Even in the late afternoon sun, they are jaw-dropping.

“Now, where are we having dinner?” Nishinoya claps his hands, pulling another mask out of his pockets. This one his slips on, a ghoulish rendition of a bear, which matches his dark mahogany suit. Asahi’s mask is of a mouse, Ennoshita’s reminiscent of a silver and blue fish, while Tanaka’s is a black and white vulture. 

“You guys don’t have to-”

Tanaka slaps a hand over Suga’s mouth. “No complaints. You’re eating with us, then you’re riding with us to the ball so you can hide in our group to get inside. Then, you’re gonna dance with Prince Sawamura until you get sick of it, then you’re gonna dance some more.”

Suga can’t even get upset, grinning. Tanaka releases him when he sees the smile, grinning right back at him.

They eat dinner in the inn. Suga finds out Akaashi and Kenma were personally invited to be Bokuto and Kuroo’s dates to the ball respectively, which is why they aren’t there, but nothing can dampen Suga’s mood. He hasn’t been this high since before his mother died.

It feels good.  _ He  _ feels good. He’s full, and comfortable, well-rested, and clean. He’s surrounded by people he trusts and cares about.  _ And _ , on top of all that, he’s intentionally and anonymously screwing over his stepmother, which is  _ always _ a win.

And he’s  _ finally  _ going to spend some quality time with Daichi.  _ Finally _ .

The carriage ride to the mansion is delightful. He spends basically the whole time laughing, especially as Tanaka puts the moves on Ennoshita, who is stone-faced and sassy and is definitely loving the attention, even if he’s not saying so. Asahi and Noya spend the whole ride cuddling and basically being the cutest couple he’s ever seen, and Yachi finally shares who she hopes to dance with (Kiyoko, the travelling merchant who she happens to know will be there - how she knows, she refuses to share). 

The man driving the carriage, a relative of Tanaka’s apparently, even joins the conversation, saying he heard that not only Baroness Tsukishima and her sons would be in attendance, but also Prince Iwaizumi from the kingdom Aoba Johsai to the west of Haikyu, who found out that Prince Sawamura would in attendance. Apparently, the two of them are old friends who never get to see one another.

Rumor says at one point they were slated to be married, but simultaneously refused to marry, for reasons unknown.

The news makes Suga smile. Oikawa, with his unbelievably massive crush on the foreign prince, would not look toward Daichi all night, despite his mother’s wishes. Tobio is not the best conversationalist and the socialite gene that runs in his mother’s and his brother’s veins does not run in his. He would not willingly approach someone unless they were truly remarkable for some reason or another. Especially since Hinata, his personal servant as well as his friend (though they would both deny the sentiment to anyone who would listen to them and their petty arguments), would be in attendance in some capacity, there was no chance that Tobio would bother to approach Daichi. It would stress him out too much.

Daichi was  _ his _ , for as much time as he would give him. His step mother had said the ball was supposed to go until sunrise, and all the servants had the next day off, so hopefully he would get the whole night to dance with Daichi.

Ennoshita nudges him when Tanaka takes a break to recoup with Noya, trying to come up with the worst pick-up lines he can imagine. “I hate to dampen your mood, but be careful you don’t get too close to your stepmother,” he whispers. “Your disguise is good enough to avoid instant recognition, but your hair is pretty distinctive and if anyone looks too close, you’ll be recognized pretty quickly. Stay safe, Suga.”

Suga nods solemnly. “I’ll be careful. There’s gonna be enough people there that I should be okay, though. I’m sure there will be a whole line of people waiting to dance with her, so she should be pretty distracted.”

He hums his agreement, dark eyes scanning the horizon. “Be safe, but don’t be scared,” he says thoughtfully. “We’ll have your back. They’re not saying it, because they’re afraid of offending you, but we’ll all be watching the whole night. Making sure you’re safe and that she’s not watching you.”

Suga hums too. His heart warms. It sucks that this is what is required for him to have a night of fun and laughter and dancing, but he refuses to focus on that. Instead, he’s focusing on how lucky he is to have these people who are willing to do this for him. And  _ that _ is worth being happy about.

“Tanaka and Noya said you got properly mad the other night and scared the everloving shit out of them,” Ennoshita says, looking curiously at Suga’s face to gauge his reaction. Suga just smirks. “Right. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

Chuckling, Suga bumps his shoulder against Ennoshita’s. “I don’t think you have to worry too much, Chikara. This pair of shoes evens out basically any wrong you could do.”

Ennoshita chuckles too, but then Tanaka is back with more pick-up lines,  _ truly _ terrible ones. “If you were a chicken, you’d be im-PECK-able,” he croons in Ennoshita’s ear, and Ennoshita lets out the  _ longest _ sigh.

“Hey, hey, Ennoshita!” He shouts, grinning from ear to ear. “Feel my suit!” Faking peak unamusement, Ennoshita obediently feels the suit. “Guess what it’s made of!”

“Cotton?” Ennoshita blinks. “Silk?”

Tanaka’s mouth curves into a shit-eating grin. “Boyfriend material.”

The group laughs, especially as that line, for whatever reason, makes Ennoshita’s cheeks pink. Tanaka takes that as the highest form of encouragement, and immediately fires another line at him. “Admittedly, we’re not socks, but I think we’d make a great pair.”

Ennoshita just glares at him.

“Are you an angel? Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.”

“You look great and all, but do you know what would make you look better? Me on your arm all night long.”

“Was your mother a beaver? Cuz  _ daaamnnn _ .”

“Hey, Ennoshita, do you remember me? Oh right, I only met you in my dreams.”

“Have you been covered in bees lately? Because you look sweeter than honey.”

“Ennoshita, you must be exhausted. You've been running around my mind all day.”

The last one seems to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and Ennoshita slaps a hand over his mouth. “ _ FINE _ ! I’ll dance with you! No more!”

Which, of course, makes the whole carriage burst into laughter. Tanaka fistpumps the air and hugs Noya, celebrating like he just became royalty. Ennoshita pretends to be irritated about the whole situation, but the smile he wears while watching Tanaka celebrate says otherwise. It’s entirely too fond to be truly upset.

Suga suspects they’ll be together all night. He can’t stop smiling.

The entrance into the mansion is light with hundreds of paper lanterns, every one of them beautiful. Yachi pulls out their group’s lantern to add to the hundreds tethered to the railings of the staircase. It’s lit by Takeru, who recognizes and winks at Suga, before letting them pass without a word. 

The ballroom is stunning. Suga missed the addition of the finishing touches, so he can’t help but let his jaw drop at the beauty of the hall, the decorations a misty grey while the floors are a dark, warm brown, glistening in the light of the candles and the chandelier, hung high above the mingling dancers. The musicians his stepmother hired, undoubtedly the best money could buy on short notice, violinists, fiddlers, cellists, flutists, and drummers, are all on a raised platform in the center of the hall, allowing the cheery music they’re playing to ricochet off of every surface. It’s beautiful and exciting and for once, he doesn’t feel the dread he normally does, walking into the mansion. Instead, he feels hope, excitement.

It’s then, he realizes, that the ballroom is already packed, the guests an overwhelming, indistinguishable sea of colors and feathers and shimmering sparkles. He has  _ no  _ idea where Daichi is, nor the slightest clue how to find him in the chaos. Yachi wouldn’t expand on what Dacihi’s costume is, nor what Kuroo, Bokuto, Kenma, or Akaashi are dressed as. She wouldn’t even say what color, which Suga finds particularly stubborn of her to do.

But he’ll find him. Regardless of the challenge. Of that much he’s certain.

He starts by wandering the floor. It takes longer than normal, scanning the crowd for familiar features but eventually he spots a face he recognizes.

He bounces over to Akaashi’s generally stony face lighting up with a smile under his owl mask when he sees him. “Suga!” He greets, offering him a quick hug. Akaashi tugs on Bokuto’s sleeve, and Bokuto cheers quite loudly at Suga’s appearance. Fortunately, the music kicks up so no one really hears, but the hug Bokuto gives Suga will leave his ribs aching for a long time. “You made it!” Akaashi says, once Suga’s back on the ground.

Talking over the music is difficult, but Suga thanks Akaashi for his work on the suit, then asks his question. “Do either of you know where Prince Sawamura is?”

Bokuto grins toothily his delight, silver owl mask threatening and bold. “He met up with Prince Iwaizumi earlier, so he’s probably still talking to him. They’re good friends. ‘S why I’m over here and not with him. Iwa’s not gonna hurt him. Kuroo is probably closer to him though, so if you can find him, he might have a better idea. Last I saw ‘em, they were over there.” He points to the far side of the room, where there are a few tables set up.

“Good luck,” Akaashi smiles, and Suga waves.

The atmosphere is loud and claustrophobic, but Suga hasn’t felt so alive in ages. He is in no hurry, not really, so he dances when the music picks up, embracing the cool night air pouring in from outside, and letting the way the candlelight dances control his movements. He is ever changing, ever burning, ever dancing. He is not put out, not smothered, but alight in the crowd, one star in the galaxy, one moment in the endless void of moments that is time. 

His body is anonymous, liquid, evolving. His smile is real and his laughter comes easily, when strangers bump into him and when couples are dancing together and when anyone compliments his outfit. This is what living should be, he realizes, this is what happiness tastes like. No wonder so many people are drunk on it.

He doesn’t know how long he’s wandering among the forests of dancers when he finally stumbles upon Kenma and Kuroo. They too are wearing masks of matching species, two different cat masks covering the top halves of their faces. Kuroo grins at his arrival, and Kenma gives a dull wave.

“Hey, guys!” Suga grins, giving them both hugs. Kenma he thanks for his work on the shoes, which makes the younger guy blush a little.

“No problem,” Kenma murmurs. “You would have done the same for me.” He shuffles awkwardly, and Suga grins. He would do the same, but that’s not what’s important. “And… you know, because of you… I got to meet him.” He points up at Kuroo, who looks so touched by the sentiment he might pass out. “The least I could do is make you some shoes. It is my job after all.”

“Aww, Kenma!” Kuroo coos, pulling him close to press a kiss to his cheek. “I didn’t know you cared!”

Kenma gives him the deadest stare Suga has ever seen. “Well, I can’t very well tell the truth, can I? If I told him you’re the worst pain in the ass I’ve ever been introduced to, that’d be rude. Suga’s my friend. I can’t be rude to him.”

Kuroo mimes his heart shattering, then fainting, then someone mourning his loss. Suga admires his dedication to reminding Kenma he’s not just the worst pain in the ass, but he’s the worst most  _ dramatic _ pain in the ass.

“You’re stupid,” Kenma says, but his lips are quirked upward. Fond, so very fond is the look in his golden eyes, framed by long straight hair. “An absolute  _ idiot _ .”

Suga grins at the looks on both their faces, but then refocuses. “Do you know where Daichi is, Kuroo?”

Kuroo straightens, looking out over the crowd with his obnoxious height. Kenma looks tiny next to him. “I think he’s - yep, he’s still sitting with Iwa at the tables. He’s dressed in black, with a crow mask. You can’t miss him,” he smiles, pointing over to where he can apparently see Daichi. “He’ll be… he’ll be ecstatic to see you, Suga. Really.”

Suga grins. “I’m pretty excited myself,” he winks and Kuroo hoots. Kenma elbows him, muttering something about making a scene, and Suga waves goodbye once again. 

The forest of bodies seems to grow taller and denser as Suga weaves his way toward the corner Kuroo pointed to. He’s actively dodging flailing limbs and unguarded dance steps to ensure he’s not knocked over, and he does pretty well, until he trips and falls headlong into someone’s arms.

When he opens his eyes, he sees black shoes and black pants. He looks up to see a black crow mask, which surrounds pretty, glittering,  _ familiar  _ brown eyes. The mouth beneath the mask is curved in a heart-stopping grin, and Suga is careful to stay close as he stands upright.

“We’ve  _ really _ got to stop meeting like this,” he says, loud enough to be heard over the music, and Daichi laughs delightedly. His joy at seeing him is enough to make Suga’s heart race for days. “One of these days, I’m going to get hurt!”

Daichi smiles warmly, taking Suga by the hand and leading him toward the dance floor. “Not if I can help it, Dove.”

Suga’s heart flutters, and he lets Daichi pull him close as they dance. Daichi’s breath is warm on his neck. “I love the shoes,” he murmurs in his ear and the music is not loud enough to pry them from Suga.

“Thanks, they were a gift. My whole outfit was.”

“They suit you,” Daichi huffs a laugh. “Gorgeous, sparkling, one of a kind.”

Suga blushes but pretends he isn’t, purposely stepping on Daichi’s toes. “Cheesy,” he hisses, giggling as Daichi growls playfully. “C’mon, you can do better than that.”

“How about this? When I saw you the first time, I thought you were an angel.”

Suga bursts out laughing, struggling to keep dancing at the same time. “Then I licked your hand and the illusion was lost?”

Daichi grins. “Nope. I only became more sure.”

Suga moans, his cheeks getting even redder. “Dammit, Daichi.”

Daichi squeezes him lightly. “You’re handsome, kind, mysterious. You gave my best friends your time and introduced them to your friends. You clearly are a hard worker, and everyone in this town cares for you. Whenever I asked about you, they all closed up like clams and refused to say another word. You said you couldn’t come, and I believe you meant it, but like the miracle you are, you’re here anyways, and you look absolutely stunning. Do you want me to go on? I can go on.”

Suga is pretty sure he’s about to catch fire from how hot his face and ears are. “ _No_. That’s illegal. You’re not allowed to be cute and charming _and_ hot. You’re only allowed to pick one, and you’re already hot. No more of this charming nonsense or this bullshit gods-damned adorableness. Not. Allowed.” He pokes Daichi in the chest twice just to punctuate his point.

“Rules are made to be broken,” Daichi grins, shrugging.

“Pretty sure your  _ entire family tree _ would disagree with that,” Suga pouts, gently punching Daichi in the gut. 

“Well, it’s not like I’m the only criminal here, then.” Daichi gives him a pointed look, which Suga easily deflects.

“Are we talking about Akaashi or Kenma? Cuz Akaashi is  _ definitely  _ hot and charming, and Kenma is cute and charming. Or, I suppose we could be talking about Bokuto, who somehow is simultaneously adorable and hot as all hell. I mean, those biceps?  _ Damn _ . Even Kuroo-”

“If you say one more word about how attractive my best friends are to you, I might start crying,” Daichi grounds out with a completely straight face. “I’m barely exaggerating.”

Suga giggles, pressing a quick kiss to Daichi’s masked cheek as apology, too chicken to kiss his skin. The black feathers feel weird against his lips. “Notice how I’m not dancing with them,” he winks, laughing out loud as Daichi spins him wide, then pulls him close to his chest again. They’re basically the same height, but Suga fits perfectly in his arms regardless. 

They dance quietly for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company, before Suga speaks up again. “Daichi, there’s some things I’d like to talk about, if that’s alright with you?”

Daichi squeezes him, eyes urging him on.

“I… I just wanted to tell you that my… avoiding you, and rejecting you… it was never you, okay? I’m… I’ve got a weird life and any of my friends would tell you my priorities are weird and I… the past few days have been some of the strangest days ever, but none of it was ever your fault, okay?”

Daichi grips him tightly then, telling Suga this was something he was actually worried about. Suga squeezes him back. “I’m not in trouble, and I’m not a criminal or anything like that. It probably looks like I am, but I promise, I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

Daichi chuckles, pulling them closer til their chests are touching and Daichi’s cheek presses against his ear. “Thanks, Dove.”

“The… The reason I won’t tell you my name…” he stutters, cheeks flushing darkly at the admission, “is because… it’s… um… not safe for me to do so? There’s some… powerful people who… uh… don’t want you to know me or like me or anything.”

Daichi stiffens, his face slack with shock. “Dove, you should’ve told me. We can protect you. Who’s threatening you?”

Suga smiles sadly. “I didn’t tell you so you could protect me,” he says eventually. “I’m okay. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think I’d be safe. Besides, I’ve got a lot of people looking out for me, Sawamura Daichi. I just… I want to be selfish, just for tonight. I want to have fun and laugh with the crown prince of Haikyu for no other reason than because he thinks my scrawny, dumbass is handsome and sparkling.” He smiles tentatively, trying to gauge Daichi’s reaction.

Daichi blinks once, twice. “Whatever you want, Dove. The rest can wait.”

Suga smiles dazzlingly, joy threatening to pour out of him. “Really? You’ll dance with me? Even… even after I told you all that?”

Daichi kisses the beak of his mask, right over his nose. “Yeah. Of course. If you believe you’re safe, then I’m inclined to trust your judgement. I hope you’ll tell me more and allow me to help you eventually, but for tonight, as long as you’re safe and happy, that’s enough. Besides,” he says squeezing Suga tight for a moment. “I want to dance with you too.”

And so they dance.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go sideways :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY GUESS WHAT
> 
> you guys are literally the BEST
> 
> i've received so many heart-warming, day-making comments on this fic, but especially on the last couple chapters. holy shit you guys are literally the bomb. you make an author's heart sing <3 <3 <3 thank you for being the best readers an author could hope for <3 <3 <3
> 
> and for your kindness, have a bit of akaashi's pov ;D

It’s Akaashi’s turn to watch Lady Kageyama. Bokuto and Kuroo are having a jig-dancing competition, so his attention is undivided. His gaze never leaves her from where he stands on the balcony, Kenma at his elbow.

Which means he’s watching as her attention shifts from Oikawa, who is happily flirting with Prince Iwaizumi, the unexpected but thoroughly welcomed royal guest, to Tobio, who is dancing rather poorly with Hinata in the corner, to the middle of the dancefloor, where two people, one dressed all in white with glittering glass shoes and one dressed all in black with a fantastic crow mask are dancing like they’re the only people in the world. 

They would have blended in just fine, if people were not stopping to watch them, the two birds who are opposites and dance effortlessly like no one is watching. 

Akaashi watches as her carefully concocted smile of sleepiness and pleasure morphs into an expression of unbridled rage. She stands so abruptly her chair tips back behind her, servants popping out of nowhere to right it and ask what’s wrong.

She takes one step toward Suga and Prince Sawamura, and Akaashi takes the deepest breath he can manage.

“TANAKA!” He bellows from the balcony, as loud as he can manage, before sprinting for the stairs, not caring about the people who are looking for the source of the shout, nor about the way the musicians pause in confusion, before starting up again.

He may have been watching her, but he’s not the only one looking out for Suga. 

By the time he reaches the main floor, he catches a glimpse of Nishinoya and Asahi talking to Suga and Prince Sawamura. He strains on his tiptoes, looking for Lady Kageyama among the crowd. He sighs in relief as he watches Ennoshita and Tanaka “accidentally” collide with everything and everyone, making Lady Kageyama’s path treacherous and slow. People are slowly turning, looking at her in surprise as she curses out guests and slaps at anyone who tries to help her. 

Bokuto appears at his elbow. “What’s going on?” Kuroo is right behind him.

“She spotted Suga,” he growls, heading into the crowd to make a nuisance of himself. “They’re out of time.”

“Who’s she?” Kuroo asks, keeping pace with him. Bokuto, too, keeps up, expression serious. “What’s wrong?”

“Suga’s in danger,” he manages, stealing the nearest servant’s tray of champagne. He has one goal. Nothing and no one will get in his way.

Just looking at Lady Kageyama’s dress, a pale green monstrosity, makes rage burn in his bones. He had to make that dress, but he’s going to have so much fun ruining it.

“Who’s  _ she,  _ Akaashi!?” Bokuto shouts, disturbing a few of the nearby guests.

“ _ Lady Kageyama _ ,” Akaashi snarls, as he finally comes up behind the woman in question. “Play along,” he gives them a quick glare, before unapologetically throwing the whole tray full of drinks squarely at her back. He doesn’t bother to make it look like an accident. If he’s being honest with himself, the action was only partially to distract her. Mostly, it was because ever since he saw Suga cry for the first time (it was in the dead heat of summer last year, and Suga had had to make six trips to town without water or food - when he cried, he was so dehydrated he didn’t even shed tears) he’s been wanting to exact revenge on this woman and damn, revenge tastes sweet.

“What the  _ hell _ , Akaashi?” Bokuto exclaims, not acting even a little bit, bewilderment written all over his expression. He grabs Akaashi’s arm, stuttering only for a moment at the expectant quirk to his eyebrow, before quickly shifting his attention to Lady Kageyama. Kuroo, looking equally bewildered, follows his lead.

Kenma appears at one elbow, Ennoshita at the other. “That’s one way to do it,” the latter mutters, but he sounds pleased. 

“Do  _ you  _ feel better, Akaashi?” Kenma asks, golden eyes scrutinizing his expression.

Akaashi smirks. “I feel excellent. I would highly recommend throwing champagne at horrible people - it’s immensely cathartic.” They begin to maneuver away from the scene, letting Kuroo and Bokuto smother her with flattery and sympathy.

Tanaka joins them shortly. “Do we know where Suga and Prince Sawamura are?”

Nishinoya appears out of nowhere, walking hand in hand with Asahi. “They should be waiting for us outside.”

They hurry out the doors. 

Prince Sawamura is standing alone, staring down the trodden dirt road, looking like his whole world is falling apart.

Akaashi and Kenma, the only ones of the gathered group to actually have spoken to the prince personally, approach him slowly. “Prince Sawamura,” Akaashi bows, never taking his eyes off of him. “Where is he?”

“He ran away,” Prince Sawamura whispers. In his hands, Ennoshita and Kenma’s glass slipper sits. It’s chipped on the toe. “He… He… was panicking, and he… he wouldn’t listen and…”

“Which way did he run?” Kenma asks, trying to pry the shoe from the prince’s hands. Knowing him, he’s probably trying to see if it can be repaired, because that would make Suga happy. The prince, though, will not release the shoe, only holding tighter the hard Kenma pulls.

He points toward the forests behind the mansion. “I… I don’t know. I tried to follow him… But… he threw his shoe at me and told me if I did, he’d never forgive me.”

Akaashi chokes on a laugh. Of  _ course _ , Suga knew his stepmother would be after him, so what did he do? Isolate himself so when she came, he’d be the only target in the vicinity to punish. Stupid, selfless bastard.

“We need to find him,” Kenma says and if nothing else about the way the night was going was indicative of the severity of the situation, it would be the tone of Kenma’s voice. He doesn’t sound hurried about anything, ever. Nothing requires panic or worry. Akaashi has watched Kenma face horrifying crises without a hint of anxiety. 

But this? He sounds worried.

Akaashi grimaces. “There are deer paths all over the woods. Does anyone know them as well as Suga?”

Everyone shakes their heads. Suga has always liked the deer paths - whenever he could get away with it, he’d take them to town instead of the main road. He’s always said they’re the best part of his stepmother’s property. 

Akaashi shakes his head too, listening to the music start back up again. “If even the people closest to him don’t know how to find him, he’s probably safer than he would be with us. He’s always said that his stepmother is a danger to everyone around her. It’s not unlikely she’ll punish the other servants if she can’t find him. We need to get all of her servants out of the mansion and to safety. You all know he’d never forgive us if we let anyone else in that ballroom get hurt.”

Tanaka and Nishinoya, as they’ve spent the most time actually in the mansion of the entire group, sprint back inside. Asahi and Ennoshita start preparing carriages, waking the animals and ensuring the tack is tightened appropriately. Shuttling people to safety is the priority. 

“His… Stepmother?” Prince Sawamura sounds dazed. Akaashi can’t exactly blame him. “You… You mean Dove’s? Is… is that who he’s running from?”

“Dove,” Akaashi says gently, “will likely tell you everything you want to know when this is all over. But yes, Lady Kageyama, Dove’s stepmother, is the one he’s running from and is the one we are seeking to contain. We have reason to believe she is connected to a string of suspicious deaths of people close to her, and have evidence that says she abuses her servants.”

“Is… is she-”

“Bokuto and Kuroo are currently distracting her,” Akaashi interrupts calmingly.

Prince Iwaizumi, with Oikawa Tooru at his side, comes running down the steps. “Daichi!” He calls, and Daichi turns slowly. He runs right up to the other prince, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? What happened? Where’s Kuroo? Why is Bokuto passed out on the floor? Where’s your dove?”

A flash of panic strikes Akaashi right to his center. Everything in him itches to go sprinting into the ballroom, where pleasant music still plays.

Daichi seems to be suffering the same panic. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya return, a herd of servants in their wake. They all seem confused, but follow instructions as they are ordered into carriages. “I think we’ve got all of them!” Noya yells as he runs over, leaving Tanaka to figure out drivers. “What’s that face for? What’s wrong?”

“Where’s Lady Kageyama?”

Nishinoya pales. Prince Iwaizumi wraps an arm around Prince Sawamura, leading him away to sit on a rock, just out of earshot.

Oikawa, apparently slowly gathering what’s going on, looks around the clearing. “Where’s… Where’s Suga?” he says, his voice pitchy with nerves. “And Tobio? Where’s Tobio?”

Akaashi swears under his breath: they were  _ supposed _ to have everything under control. How the  _ hell _ did she overpower even  _ one _ of the strongest knights in the kingdom?

“I’m going to find out,” he says firmly. “Stay with Kenma and Ennoshita. Do whatever they say. Don’t whine at anyone and for the love of all things holy, do  _ not _ start crying,” he snarls. Oikawa crying is a spectacle  _ no one _ needs tonight, the drama queen that he is.

Then he marches toward the house.

The ballroom is weirdly still. Sure, music still plays, but everyone is crowding in a circle around where Akaashi left Bokuto and Kuroo. Dread sinks in his stomach. He forces himself to remain calm and stoic - Iwaizumi said  _ passed out _ , not dead. He’d like to think that if Bokuto was dead in the middle of a masquerade ball, people would be a smidge more upset. He hadn’t even known the knight all that long and he certainly would be.

He carves his way into the middle of the room. It’s like everyone’s afraid to touch him, but Akaashi has no such fears, kneeling next to Bokuto and lifting his head onto his lap. “Bo,” he says quietly, so only Bokuto can hear, tapping his cheek. “Bo, wake up.” He watches the broad chest rise and fall smoothly for a moment, letting that knot of dread untangle and vanish. He’s alive. He’s fine.

He taps him again, shaking him gently. Bokuto stirs, and the crowd, upon seeing he’s okay, begins to disperse, returning to their dancing partners. He sighs in relief, the pressure on his shoulders lessening, and shakes Bokuto again. “Bokuto, wake up, please. We need your help. I need your help.”

Golden, round eyes crack open blearily, and Bokuto sighs as he blinks once, twice. His eyes slowly focus on Akaashi’s face, before panic makes him jump up. “Kuroo!” He yells, looking around. “That bat’s psycho!” He yelps, unsteady on his feet but standing anyways. Akaashi is quick to rise and support him, “She was fine, polite, flirting with us, and then she had a stinking nightshade she shoved in my face and stabbed Kuroo!”

Akaashi pales. Now that he’s looking for it, he can see small drops of blood, near invisible on the dark wood floors, leading away. Kuroo apparently gave chase. Some of them are smeared from the people surrounding Bokuto, but they can follow it. “I’m sure you’re not feeling well, and I know your balance is off, but I need your help. We have to find Lady Kageyama and take her down, or she might hurt someone. Suga is safe for now, but there’s no time to delay.”

Someone taps him on the shoulder, he spins, sighing in relief at the face of Tobio, who is looking  _ very _ confused. “Do you know where Hinata is?”

“Go outside, find your brother and stay with him. Tanaka will be nearby. He knows where Hinata is,” Akaashi says, turning his back once again. Tobio seems to understand the hurry and says nothing more as he walks away, slipping through the crowd. To Bokuto, he says, “Are you okay to walk?”

Bokuto gets a determined glimmer in his eyes and smirks. “I didn’t become the best knight in the kingdom without taking a few hits, ‘Kaashi. This isn’t even the worst condition I’ve fought in. Let’s go. I wanna kick her ass. Who the hell even  _ uses  _ nightshade anymore?!”

Akaashi can’t help but sigh in relief - Bokuto’s confidence is… calming. Even if he has no clue where Kuroo is, or if he’s still with Lady Kageyama, Bokuto is ready and raring to fight.

They follow the blood trail down into the servant quarters, where Kuroo is unconscious on the floor. There’s a bleeding gash and a giant bruise on his head and an abandoned plank of wood next to him.

“Seems she took the more direct approach,” Bokuto murmurs, tentatively separating from Akaashi so he can kneel next to his friend. “He’s not looking too good, ‘Kaashi. Probably has a nasty concussion, and his shoulder is still bleeding. We need to get him out of here.”

“Get… get out,” Kuroo mutters, still mostly unconscious. “Fire… get out…”

Akaashi freezes. “She thinks Suga’s still in the mansion. She doesn’t know he left.”

Bokuto gapes. “You think she’d burn her home down? Just ‘cause Daichi and Suga danced?”

What happens next happens so fast, Akaashi isn’t sure he can confirm he saw it. Even though he was making eye contact with Bokuto, he doesn’t see him move, just sees the before, the shocked, standing pose and the after, to the full extension of his arm, sword-point leveled at Lady Kageyama’s throat. He blinks, and the air whooshes from his lungs. 

Bokuto didn’t become the best knight in the kingdom with poor reflexes or a lack of control either. That much is clear.

Lady Kageyama looks more dishevelled than Akaashi has  _ ever _ seen her, and the rage is palpable in her fierce expression. She stands haughtily at the end of his sword, staring down it like she can dull it with her pompous gaze. “You’d better run,  _ Sir Bokuto _ ,” she sneers, wiping her hands on her horrible dress. “Or you’ll burn too. I wonder what a knight of your caliber sounds like when he screams for death.”

Akaashi can see the smoke wafting toward them. Can smell it. Terror clenches his insides. “Bo-”

Bokuto moves again, and this time Akaashi can see the intent, see the power. He steps, rotating the blade smoothly, and rams the hilt of his blade into her temple like a woodsman would slam the blade of an axe into a tree.

She crumples like a sack of rotten apples.

He giggles, his smile pure and delighted. Akaashi’s brain struggles a bit to mesh the image of Bokuto  _ effortlessly _ taking her out and this gorgeous smile screaming innocent joy. “I understand why you threw champagne at her now. That was  _ really _ fun.”

“Bokuto, fire. Two unconscious people. Over a hundred people upstairs. We have to  _ go.  _ Like  _ now. _ ”

Bokuto refocuses and nods. He pats down her limp body without hesitation, disarming her and throwing any weaponry he finds toward the source of the smoke. He sheathes his sword, then hefts her up onto his shoulder like the sack of rotten apples that she is. 

Then, he hoists Kuroo upright, letting Akaashi help support him. Akaashi also grabs his sword, where it got pinned underneath him. Kuroo moans - the knife wound in his shoulder is reinflamed by the movement, but Akaashi grits his teeth, apologizes, and starts pulling him up the stairs.

For how thin he is, Akaashi hadn’t thought to consider that what little weight he had was entirely muscle. Kuroo is  _ heavy.  _ But failure isn’t an option, and Akaashi just keeps trudging, even when his legs scream for rest.

There are  _ so many people _ upstairs. 

They have to warn them. Have to save them.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mansion burns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys and your sweet comments are literally gonna kill me. they're too nice. i'm gonna die of sweetness overload. you all are gonna be guilty of murder by niceness. how dare you be so friggin kind and positive and make my day literally 1000 times over???
> 
> anyway this chapter's just a short lil thing but enjoy it nonetheless!!! :D

Sugawara can’t breathe. Every gasp of air saws through him like a knife, carving him in half. His muscles are screaming. His feet hurt, cuts and splinters and bruises crying for attention. The other glass shoe weighs a ton in his arms. Stars dance at the rims of his vision, darkness begging him to stop, to give up, to keel over. Still, sobs are pouring out of him.

He doesn’t even know why.

Everything hurts. Everything, every particle of his being, every bit of his soul, every speck of his consciousness. It  _ hurts _ , it burns and sears and aches and pinches and stabs and slashes and explodes through him. He has never hurt like this.

He was so happy. So, so happy. Daichi would only be his for this one night, and he’d… he’d been foolish enough to let his optimistic friends talk him into it. Into endangering Daichi, into trying to be normal, into trying to live instead of survive. He was so  _ stupid _ . He deserved this, deserved whatever punishment his friends were trying to save him from. They couldn’t save him forever.

Why didn’t he ever just  _ think _ ? Couldn’t he, just once, prioritize correctly? Daichi is just a crush. Did he really think he could have both Daichi  _ and _ what’s left of his mother? Really? Just how stupid and arrogant was he?

He told Daichi he was safe.  _ Safe _ ? Safety does not know him, and it does not know that gods-forsaken mansion. It has been killed by that horrible woman and he  _ knew that _ . He  _ knows _ that. He has not been safe for a single moment since his mother died. Period.

He  _ knows  _ that.

He knows that.

For the first time since he threw his shoe at Daichi ( _ he chipped it, broke it, ruined it - Ennoshita and Kenma would kill him if his stepmother didn’t and he deserved it, deserved every iota of rage they had for him _ ), he looks back at toward the mansion.

His heart shatters as he sees tall columns of smoke, thick and black and heavy, floating toward the heavens and intermingling with the clouds. Barely, over the tops of the trees, he can see the tongues of the devouring flames.

He was almost to town. 

_ Hinata might be in there. _

_ Yamaguchi might not be safe. _

_ Moniwa and Takeru might not have gotten out. _

He sprints back toward the mansion, clutching the other shoe tightly. His whole body weeps, but he will not let his friends get hurt for his own arrogance. 

Never again.

Daichi watches the mansion go up in flames. He feels empty, hollow. He watched Kenma dress Kuroo’s wounds and help him drink water for his headache, watched Akaashi ensure Bokuto remained upright, since he was still getting struck with dizzyspells. 

Lady Kageyama is still unconscious, bound to four separate trees. 

Everyone got out. Everyone is safe. All things considered, it went as well as it could possibly go. Yeah, Kuroo has a concussion and got stabbed, and Bokuto got drugged, and Dove went sprinting off like an emotionally distraught bat out of hell to who knows where, but there’s no screams coming from the mansion. People are crying, fear and alcohol driving them to emote, but there’s no death in the air. 

The heat of the blaze and the intensity of the smoke makes his eyes water and his throat tight.

He understands Dove a little better now.

He’s not sure what alerts him first, whether it’s the heavy breathing or the trampling footsteps or the sound of branches cracking and bushes thwacking against one another, but he turns, only to get an arm full of a crying, panting Dove, who looks like he was dragged feet first through a swamp.

His once stark-white clothes are torn and dirty, never to be so clean again. He’s carrying his remaining glass shoe in his arms, swaddling it like a baby, the silky white socks stuffed inside. He barrels into Daichi, not even trying to stop, heading for the mansion.

Daichi grabs him and holds on, dragging his feet. “Dove, Dove, stop! It’s not safe!”

“Hinata!” Dove rasps, and Daichi suspects he’d be screaming if he could drag in the air. “Yamaguchi! I’m coming!”

Daichi’s heart snaps, and he pulls Dove in close, wrapping him in his arms even as he struggles. “Dove, they’re all safe. No one’s in there. Your friends got them out long before the fire started. Your friends are safe. Hinata and Yamaguchi are safe. I promise, Dove. I promise. Breathe, they’re all safe.”

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but when they do, Dove collapses; if Daichi hadn’t wrapped his arms around him, he would have pitched face first into the grass. Before Daichi can comprehend what’s going on, Dove is  _ sobbing _ , broken and endless.

Daichi turns him until his face is buried in his chest, squeezing him tight. He doesn’t move, doesn’t complain, doesn’t say another word as Dove lets all of his pain ooze out of him like blood out of a wound.

Daichi’s just glad he’s here and that he’s alive. 

Dove cries for a long, long time, but eventually, he takes a deep shuddering breath, and whispers something against his collarbone. Daichi squeezes him gently, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “What’d you say?” He whispers back.

“My name is Sugawara Koushi,” he mumbles a bit louder. “Everyone calls me Suga. And I’m really sorry. About everything.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga apologizes. Or tries to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh we're so close to the end send help

The morning brings the reddest sunrise Daichi has seen in a long time. The fire is still going, most of the house collapsed by now. People have mostly dispersed, wandered back to whatever house or hole they crawled out of. 

Everyone knows who started the fire though. Lady Kageyama has taken to hissing at whoever looks at her.

Once Suga recovers enough to face his friends, he’s tackled into a cuddle puddle that lasts a remarkably long time. It’s not just his friends from town, but many of the servants from the mansion too, who out of curiosity had wandered back once they saw the smoke. By the end of it, he’s cried again, but he looks better. He’s laughing a little bit too.

When he stands again, Tobio quietly approaches and apologizes. For everything. Oikawa too, though much more reluctantly. Suga smiles and thanks them. 

It’s Iwaizumi who says it. “Well, this has got to have been the strangest masquerade I’ve ever been to. I mean, seriously? Arson? Drugging? Stabbing? Those aren’t usually words I use to describe a party.”

Everyone laughs. Even Suga.

Suga tries to apologize to his friends, to the servants, to Iwaizumi, like he apologized to Daichi.

It doesn’t go any better than it did the first time.

“ _... I’m really sorry. About everything.” _

_ “Sugawara Koushi, there’s not a thing in this world you need to apologize for, except  _ maybe _ for throwing your shoe at me. That thing is glass and considerably heavy. Throw a stick next time.” _

“I’m really, really sorry, guys… I shouldn’t have-”

Yachi claps her hands over his mouth. “No.” She gives him a look, before slowly releasing him again.

“But this is all my faul-”

She replaces her hands firmly. “Still a nope.” He gets a determined look in his eyes, and she cuts him off for a third time. “If you  _ dare _ lick me, Sugawara Koushi, I will hug you until you forget what it’s like to pee alone. Don’t test me. I heard what you did to Prince Sawamura. I will not be so forgiving.”

His shoulders shake with a laugh, and his cheeks curve under her hands. “Suga, you have to keep trying. The risk you took, going to this party, breaking the rules for once in your life, trying to have fun despite all the sucky things… It’s… it’s healthy! It’s good! You get really bitter and depressed when you forget to have hope. I’m not trying to blame you or anything - you’re in a really rough spot! I just… I mean…”

“You were so happy last night,” Tanaka says quietly, shyly. Ennoshita urges him on. “I’ve… We’ve never seen you like that. It was… It was real. We… We’re gonna help you get that again, okay? We’ll storm the baroness if we have to, but you’ll get your inheritance.”

Suga’s face lights up at the kind words, but his smile is sad. “Thank you, Tanaka. All of you. I  _ know _ how hard you all worked to make sure I had last night to be happy. You guys are all talking about how good it was that I did that, but my participation has nothing on everything you all did to make it happen. But, I’m afraid that I can’t… I can’t avoid the punishment forever.” He shrugs. “The baroness won’t change her mind. My father wrote it in his will and the law is the law. If she considers my extenuating circumstances, she’ll have to rewrite the precedent and she won’t do that.”

“I could make her reconsider,” comes a quiet, solemn voice.

Suga blinks at the tall, blond boy. “You’d do that, Tsukishima?”

“Yamaguchi says I’d be a monster not to,” he shrugs nonchalantly. Yamaguchi, standing a half-step behind him, nods happily.

“I could also talk to her, Suga,” Daichi says. He loves saying his name. It makes his heart race. “I’ve been told I can be pretty convincing. Especially to baronesses.”

That makes Suga smile, but he shakes his head. “You’ve got places to go, people to see, Daichi. Your parents must be expecting you back eventually! Besides, this is hardly a problem worthy of a prince.”

Iwaizumi crosses his arms. “Awful bold of a peasant to be telling a prince what to do and where to go and what the expectations for him are.”

Daichi grins at him, then at Suga. “The man makes a very compelling argument, Suga. Are you planning on joining me, Iwa?”

He grins. “Perhaps.” The western prince looks over at Oikawa. “He told me I should, especially if you wouldn’t.” Oikawa blushes.

“What are we gonna do about snake lady?” Nishinoya asks, yawning. “As much as I’d like to say we forget about her and leave her, it’s not like that’s gonna solve anything.”

Tobio looks torn between defending his mom and remaining quiet. Hinata wraps an arm around his waist.

“She assaulted my personal guard, which can be legally called an assault on the royal family,” Daichi offers grimly. “Some would call that an assassination attempt, as the only reason someone would attack my guard outside of a knightly duel is to harm me.”

Even Oikawa pales at that. She’s awful, but she is their mom and she did provide for them. “What would the punishment for that be?” He asks, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

“Depends on who’s sentencing,” Daichi answers honestly. “The most extreme would be torture and death. I’m not a big fan of sentencing that kind of punishment, and since she wasn’t actually targeting me, and Kuroo and Bo mostly were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I would consider a prison sentence a fair punishment. A long one, granted, but not unsurvivable.”

Something tight and pained loosens from both Tobio and Oikawa’s stances. “Oh. Okay,” Oikawa murmurs. “That seems just.”

“Yeah,” Tobio echoes. “Would we be able to see her?”

Daichi nods. “I could stipulate that in her sentencing.”

The tension completely releases from the brothers. It’s silent for a moment, then Daichi claps his hands, dusting off his pants. “Well, no time like the present to take care of some screwy will business. Suga, Iwa, Tsukishima, care to join me?”

Suga smiles at him, nodding and standing. “Sure.”

Iwaizumi cracks his knuckles. “Alright.” Tsukishima nods.

Bokuto and Kuroo give him thumbs up from where they’re sat, leaning against a tree. Kenma and Akaashi are chatting quietly nearby. “Give ‘em hell, Dai,” Kuroo offers, looking like hell himself.

“What he said,” Bo giggles. “Don’t let him get killed, Iwa. We’re counting on you.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes. “You guys say that like he’s a toothless puppy. He’s beaten you guys!” 

“Not since last spring!” Kuroo exclaims, seeming to immediately regret the choice as he cradles his head. 

“For me, it hasn’t been since two winters ago!” Bokuto argues.

“Are you sure?” Daichi chimes in. “I seem to recall a duel a few weeks ago where-”

“You  _ said _ that I was having a bad day!” Bokuto pouts, and Daichi laughs easily, throwing an arm around Suga.

“You still lost.”

“It doesn’t count!”

“You  _ lost _ !” Daichi singsongs, and Kuroo snickers.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga and Daichi have a lil talk and Tsukishima... is himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gah sorry this is late!!! i moved today and between that and dogsitting i've been a hair frazzled :D enjoy! we're so so close to the end!!!

When they’re finally out of earshot of most of the group, Iwaizumi drops back to “cover their rear”, dragging Tsukishima with him. Daichi knows it’s so Suga and he have time to talk, but he appreciates the attempt at subtlety nonetheless.

“Suga,” he starts, and Suga looks at him expectantly. Face blank, serene, curious. Daichi wants to kiss him, but instead he says, “Can you… tell me the story? From the beginning?”

He smiles softly, eyes going hazy. “Okay.”

He starts at the beginning. He talks about his mom, about his favorite memories of her. He talks about how she was the heroine in every story he ever told, how his dad worshipped her. He talks about how she was opposed to violence for the sake of violence, about how she dreamed of peace. He talks about the way she smiled when she baked, the way she sang when she was victorious. He talks about how for the longest time, he thought people were like his mom. Brave, honest, strong, and most of all, kind.

He talks about her death. He talks about the weird limbo where he knew she was dead but was in denial, about how everything good about his dad seemed to fall apart when she was gone. He talks about the loneliness, the heartbreak, the anger.

He tells Daichi all about when he first met his stepmother, how he hated her from the beginning. He tells Daichi how he  _ knew _ that if his dad married this woman, he’d be an orphan before he knew it. He tells him how his dad courted this monster, how he waxed poetic about her, how Suga  _ tried _ to tell him she was dangerous and a liar, but his nine winters old tongue could not out speak the tongue of the snake, and his dad wouldn’t listen. 

He talks briefly about his father’s death. He talks more about the immediate ripples of things after that, about how he was trapped and it was his father’s fault. He talks about how the money that is his inheritance is his mother’s fortune, not his father’s, and why he has suffered through so much for riches. He talks about the first moons after his father’s death, how awkward and tense they were, and all the ways he tried to get out of his stepmother’s reach.

He talks about befriending the servants, then the various vendors and craftspeople in town, how he slowly built up relationships with all of them. 

When he talks about the lead-up to Daichi’s arrival, Daichi goes very quiet and very still. Not that he was making a lot of noise before or moving around a lot, but he would occasionally hum or squeeze Suga’s hand or generally acknowledge that he's listening and sympathizing with what's being said. 

The more Suga talks about his thoughts and the reasons behind his actions, the tighter Daichi squeezes his hand.

"You… you were crushing on me pretty hard, huh?" He finally says when Suga stops talking. Suga punches him in the arm.

"So were you, don't think I've forgotten. The other servants kept telling me how you were looking for me and asking after me."

"Did you know," Daichi replies conversationally, not the least bit flustered by the whole mess, "that there's not a soul in this town who was not willing to protect you? I asked everyone. The children, the elders, everyone. No one would even admit to knowing your name. It's like they knew the choice you faced. I tried to tell them that I had only the best and purest intentions with you, but they didn't seem to buy it."

Suga blushes, but pretends he isn't as he pouts. "Boring. Where's the fun in being  _ pure _ ?"

Daichi grins. "I didn't say  _ wholesome _ . There's a whole list of words that can follow pure that would not be wholesome."

Suga grins back, before sighing. "I really am sorry about the ball. And my stepmother. And how this all turned out."

"It's not your fault, Suga. This - there's a lot of people at fault, myself included. Kuroo and Bo tried to tell me that you were being vague to keep yourself safe and I wouldn't listen. I didn't understand what could possibly be endangering you that I wouldn't be able to protect you from. Not only was that horrifically cocky of me to think, but it's unfair to you."

Suga hums thoughtfully. "Thank you for pushing, though. I'm a little… a little sharp? Around the edges? I don't… I don't want to be, but… I think I forget I don’t have to be sometimes?"

Daichi presses a kiss to his cheek, before pausing so they can wait up for Iwaizumi and Tsukishima. “I didn’t notice.”

Tsukishima is still looking snooty and irritated, but that’s basically his only expression, so Suga assumes he’s fine. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, is looking incredibly irritated, and though Suga hasn’t known him long, he has seen him make other facial expressions, so he has something to compare it to.

Iwaizumi doesn’t pause, but keeps on walking swiftly as they rejoin. Daichi glances at Tsukishima, then at Suga, then jogs to catch up with the neighboring prince. Suga looks at Tsukishima. “What did you say?” He grins, slapping him on the back.

Other than making some sort of irritated grunt which makes his face scrunch up for a moment, Tsukishima’s expression remains flat. “I simply said that it’s not unlikely that my testimony, regardless of the truth of it, will have no sway whatsoever over my mother. She has frequently gotten overwhelmed around royalty, so they would be more effective. Prince Iwaizumi did not seem to appreciate the sentiment.”

“Huh.” Suga is still trying to figure out the hell that pissed Iwaizumi off to the degree it did, when Tsukishima continues a little quieter.

“I may have also heavily implied the fact that his kingdom still being at war with the kingdom to the north is idiotic and it would suit everyone best if they would take one of the proffered peace treaties.”

Suga giggles and sighs, rubbing his back. Tsukishima may outrank him, but he’s a couple years younger and always has seemed to take constructive criticism better from him than people like his older brother, Akiteru. “Has it occurred to you that that may have been a thought better kept unspoken?” He grins, winking.

“I didn’t say it verbatim like that, I just… I was under the impression as nobility we could have a civil conversation regarding the state of our nations. Being neighbors, our actions and inactions impact one another fairly heavily.”

“You’re not wrong,” Suga sighs. “As usual. Which is  _ really _ annoying - stop being right all the time. But if you’re gonna be right all the time, we need to work on your tact.”

“I have plenty of tact,” he stiffens, eyeing Suga challengingly. Of course, it’s not his face that betrays the playful, challenging nature of the statement, but his eyes, a dare dancing in the hazel rims. 

“Cute,” Suga smirks cheekily, reaching up (since when did Tsukishima get so damned  _ tall _ ) and pinching his cheek. “But people who have tact in spades don’t need to defend the fact, as it tends to be obvious.” He winks again, and Tsukishima’s cheekbones turn pink.

The baroness’ son doesn’t have a response to this, but that’s okay, because Daichi and Iwaizumi rejoin them then. Iwaizumi seems to be back to a more pleasant mood, and Daichi is clearly happy.

“Bokuto did that?” Iwaizumi is laughing, disbelief written all over his face.

“He did,” Daichi grins, shaking his head. “He threw a cream pie directly at my father.”

It takes Suga a moment to remember Daichi’s father is the  _ king _ of  _ Haikyu _ . He pales and shivers. “How did the King react?” He asks quietly, trying to imagine the carnage that would ensue if he did that to his stepmother, accidentally or otherwise.

Though, if Bokuto’s exuberant if not slightly slurred storytelling is to be believed, Akaashi threw a platter of champagne flutes at his stepmother’s back and lived to hear Bokuto tell the tale and supposedly no one else died… Though, Kuroo  _ did _ get stabbed… huh…

“He actually laughed?” Daichi sounds just as stunned as Suga and Iwaizumi look, while Tsukishima looks indifferent.

“What else could he do?” Tsukishima mutters. “Not like he can lose his cool.”

Daichi shrugs the point. “Bokuto  _ did _ complain about all the seasoning on his food being off for the next several weeks, so maybe that was a maniacal laugh.”

“Somehow, I can imagine your father doing that. No one would ever suspect him.” Iwaizumi’s voice is teasing, and everyone laughs easily. It's a serene and peaceful thought, for Suga to wonder if maybe everything that comes after this will be easy too.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The choices that must come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAHHH I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!!!!
> 
> this used to be the last chapter of the fic, and which is why it's super short and kind of reads like an ending, but i didn't like where that left daisuga for the bokuaka sequel i'm working on, so i wrote a little bit more :D i'll post that too so you guys won't have to wait
> 
> i hope you like it!!!!

Suga is high, floating, his feet not even touching the ground.

_ He’s free. _

Free. The word is elastic and changing, morphing into one dream, then another. He’ll become a knight, no - a craftsman, no - better yet - a farmer, or maybe a healer! Or perhaps he’ll find a serving job with payment and weekends off - or maybe he’ll - 

“Suga?”

Daichi’s voice is gentle and soft and anxiety crashes into Suga like a raging bull. What about  _ Daichi _ , who has done so much for him, who has given him this gift and completely changed his life?

“Suga, you still in there?”

He shakes himself out of it enough to respond, simple nod and apology.

“What do you think you’re going to do with your newfound wealth?”

Not only had Daichi managed to free him from his stepmother and get him his inheritance, but he had also convinced Baroness Tsukishima that Suga deserved compensation for the initial failing. 

Suga is set for any dream he could want. He could stay right where he is and build a new life, or go to the far reaches of the planet and discover a whole new way of living.

“I dunno,” he says, a little unnerved by the sheer number of options available to him.

“Have you thought about living in the city?” Daichi asks, his eyes nervously darting over Suga’s features. “It’s bustling and lively and changing. You’d have lots of opportunities to try different jobs and learn different skills. There’s also a constant flux in the kinds of people there, so you’d get to meet all sorts of new people.”

Suga wonders if Daichi’s  _ not  _ saying something. “Which city?” He feels a bit guilty for asking, knowing he’s baiting Daichi on purpose, but he needs to know. He’s only known the guy a week, after all, and only really talked to him in the last day. He likes Daichi - a  _ lot  _ \- and he’s pretty sure Daichi likes him too - but romance is complicated with royalty and Daichi is expected to marry wealthy and royal. Suga is only barely classified as one of the above.

If Daichi doesn’t like Suga the way Suga likes Daichi, it’s better to find that out now, than after he moves and is alone in an unfamiliar environment.

“I personally am rather fond of the capital,” Daichi drawls after a moment, as though his cheeks aren’t red. “It’s a nice walk from the castle where I stay. Besides, I have friends in the city, who could help you find housing and work. Plus, Bo and Kuroo are fond of you, and Bo would probably cry for weeks if he found out he’d never get to see you.”

Something tight loosens in his chest. “The capital, huh?” He nods slowly. “I could try that out. I would need someone to show me around though.”

Daichi grins, broad and confident. “I’m sure I could figure something out.”

Suga smiles back, then impulsively kisses his cheek. “Thank you, Daichi. You… You’ve given me more than I think you realize.”

His grin doesn’t falter. “Anytime, Sugawara Koushi.”


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> waaaaahh this is the end my dudes
> 
> i'm not much good at these sorts of notes, but i just want to finish this fic off with a resounding THANK YOU. Thank you all for the comments and kudos, for opening this fic and giving it a try! Thank you for being there for me when I was down and for taking time out of your day for my story! Thank you, and I hope the epilogue makes you smile!
> 
> this very well might be the fluffiest daisuga fluff that ever fluffed and there's even a hint kuroken through in at the end :D
> 
> *fingers crossed* stay tuned for bokuaka's sequel! assuming i write it soonish! classes start in a couple weeks and i'm gonna be screwed for time but i'll try!

Daichi looks regal, a shining prince of stars and power, as he kneels before the monks. Suga recognizes some of them; they’re from the temple near Karasuno. He watches with nothing short of pride on his face from his front-row seat as Crown Prince Sawamura Daichi is bestowed with the title of  _ Enlightened _ , like his father before him.

The ceremony passes in a blur, but soon a banquet is in full swing. Suga’s sipping on wine and munching on the best cheeses and fruits he’s ever tasted when Sir Bokuto Koutaro lands in the chair next to him. 

“Ya know, Suga… Daichi… he’s never fallen for anyone before. Not like this. Not like you.”

Suga smiles, cheeks warming. “Yeah? Me neither.”

“Thank you for that. For giving him a chance. For loving him the way he deserves. Kuroo and I would give him anything without question, but we can’t give him what you’ve given him.” Suga feels tears well in his eyes. Bokuto never says anything he doesn’t mean. Happiness threatens to overwhelm him. “He wants to appoint you as one of his royal advisors.”

Suga chokes on cheese, tears spilling over from the sudden movement. He wipes them away quickly. “ _ What _ ?!” Daichi had  _ not _ mentioned this.

Bokuto stares at him for a moment. Then he smirks. “That’s your warning.”

A trumpet sounds. The king is standing, raising a glass to gather everyone’s attention to him. “Sugawara Koushi, come forward.”

He freezes like he’s made of ice. He’s not breathing, and he’s  _ pretty _ sure his heart’s not beating. Bokuto’s hand on his shoulder shocks him, and it’s only because Bokuto escorts him to the foot of the king’s throne that he doesn’t collapse.

“At the request of Prince Sawamura, you are appointed the royal advisor to the Crown Prince of Haikyu. You will do your best to guide him through all challenges his life will bring him. You will utilize your own life experiences and challenges to ease his. Congratulations.”

Suga blinks, then bows as deeply as he can. “Thank you, sire,” he mumbles, mind racing.

Once he’s dismissed to the sound of raucous applause, he wanders away. Bokuto left his side at some point. He doesn’t know when. His mind is a chaotic explosion of various anxieties, excitements, and a screaming voice (it might be his own - he’s not sure) just saying  _ whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat _ . 

There’s a touch to his spine. He spins slowly.  
Daichi is standing there, a sheepish smile on his face.

Suga just blinks for a moment. “ _ What just happened. _ ”

It is not a question. Daichi’s smile morphs to a grin. “I needed a reason to hang out with you all the time. Besides, Bo was getting sad thinking about how we'd only be able to hang out with you every once in a while AND you still needed a job. If you… If you don’t  _ want  _ the position, then I’m sure we can figure something out-”

Suga tackles him in a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Thank you,” he whispers. “ _ Thank you _ .”

Daichi hugs him back, humming as he tucks his face into the crook of Suga’s neck, breathing him in. “No,” he murmurs. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. I should be thanking you. You’re still hanging out with  _ me  _ and I just signed you up for even more of me.”

Suga grins, squeezing even tighter. “You  _ are _ a loser… Hmm… maybe I  _ should _ reconsider…”

Daichi scoffs, and Suga presses a kiss to his cheek, finally leaning back a bit. “I advise you to never change because you’re  _ amazing _ , Sawamura Daichi. The fact you hang out with  _ me _ , the real loser here, is stunning. You are so, so beautiful.”

“You two are  _ nauseating. _ ” Kuroo stands off to the side, arms crossed. “You literally met  _ one month _ ago.”

It was only a month, but Suga wouldn’t trade that month for the whole universe. Dancing with Daichi at that ball was special, but there was nothing like walking with him and Kuroo and Bokuto from city to town to village as they finished their tour. There’s nothing in the world that could compare to sitting around a fire, letting their shoulders rub together as they talk about everything and nothing at once, and Bokuto and Kuroo find reasons to patrol out of line of sight from the campfire so they can talk in hushed voices and maybe kiss or cuddle. 

There is  _ nothing _ like the realization that Daichi knows him and is comfortable with him and cares for him all the same. There is nothing that could compete with the joy that strikes Suga’s heart like lightning, watching Daichi’s breath catch every time he looks at him. There’s nothing that compares to cuddling with Daichi and waking up the next morning still entwined, still wearing the clothes from the day before.

He wouldn’t trade this for the sun, moon, and all the stars in the sky. Even if it doesn’t last forever, even if something goes wrong, Daichi has taught him so much. But the best part of being with Daichi, by far, is that he doesn’t think they will ever go wrong.

They just  _ work _ . Even on the bad days, where Daichi’s irritated and Suga’s grumpy and everything goes wrong, they work it out. They make it through. They carve out a space to be kind, to heal. There is nothing so healing as a tired smile from Daichi.

“You’re doing it  _ again _ ,” Kuroo moans, and Suga realizes while he was thinking all this through, he was staring at Daichi, who was staring right back looking just as lovestruck.

“Give ‘em a break, Kuroo. They don’t even know they’re doing it.” Bokuto appears from behind them, throwing thick arms around their shoulders. “They’re completely oblivious to how damned  _ cute _ they are, the bastards. Makin’ all the rest of us look bad.”

“So you’re the famous Suga?” A soft, feminine voice says, and Suga stiffens. He turns slowly. The queen of Haikyu stands behind him, Aone at her elbow. Suga bows, not sure where this is going at  _ all _ . “I  _ knew _ we did something right with Daichi. He has  _ excellent _ taste. You’re adorable. Look at your little birthmark - I couldn’t have picked a cuter boy for Daichi myself.”

Suga blushes dark, dark red, rivalling Daichi’s own blush. Bokuto and Kuroo burst into loud laughter, leaning on each other as they shake with the force of their amusement. “Thank you, Queen,” Suga chokes out.

“ _ Mom _ ,” Daichi stammers, and the queen  _ grins _ . “ _ Inappropriate _ ,” he hisses.

“Actually, I’m the queen and if I want to tell him he’s cute, I will do so.” She’s short, so looking down her nose at Daichi doesn’t  _ really _ work, but she tries anyway, before giggling. “C’mon Daichi, I’m your  _ mom _ . If I don’t make you blush like crazy around your new boyfriend, am I really doing my job? Besides, you’ve always been the cutest when you’re embarrassed, so I’m actually doing you a favor.”

Suga can’t help giggling at that, at Daichi’s expression, at the situation. “She’s right, Daichi. You  _ are _ cute when you’re embarrassed.”

“See!” The queen cackles, triumphant. “Anyways, Aone is about to tap me on the shoulder and quietly point out I would be safer on the throne, so I suppose I must listen to him.” The fact that she knows that Aone’s hand is hovering over her shoulder without even glancing at him scares Suga just a bit. Aone looks equally stunned. “This is goodbye for now, but please, Suga, join us for dinner tomorrow. My husband would also like the opportunity to meet you. We’re happy you’re here and are looking forward to getting to know you. Welcome to our castle and our family.” She winks, gives a little wave, and walks away.

Suga blinks. Then looks at Daichi. He smiles. “I like her.”

Daichi moans. “I wish I didn’t,” he says, burying his face in Suga’s neck again.

They all laugh at that, and Suga kisses Daichi’s head. 

Suga is  _ happy _ . This is living, and elation, and hope, and excitement for tomorrow, and he’s  _ drunk  _ on it.

He approaches Kuroo first. “I have a request.”

Kuroo looks up from the letter he’s writing, and Suga pretends not to notice the neat script that says  _ Dear Kenma _ at the top of the page. “I’m not going to steal all of Daichi’s clothes so he has to go around naked.”

Suga smirks, rolling his eyes. “As if I’d need your help for that.”

Kuroo grins. “So then, what do you need?”

“Can you teach me to sword-fight? Like my mom did?” 

He sombers, thinking. “By myself, probably not. Working for Daichi has its definite disadvantages. The hours are sporadic and long and breaks are few and far between. We could train, but our lessons would be far enough apart that it wouldn’t be beneficial for you.” Suga tries to not let the disappointment show on his face. “But between me, Bokuto, and Daichi?” He grins, broad and excited. “No problem. By the time we’re through with you, you’ll be able to take all of our jobs from us easily.”

Suga grins.

“You know you’ve made your mom proud, right Suga? With or without a sword in your hands?” Kuroo turns back toward his letter. “The fact you’re still fighting to better yourself is more than enough.”

He chuckles. He feels the words he’s going to say settle on his bones like a new layer of skin. It’s comfortable and powerful. “I know. And I won’t stop fighting. I promise.”

Kuroo grins, but only turning enough to look at Suga out of the corner of his eye. “I’ll hold you to that.”


End file.
